


Dream High

by Nikki_Ann



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bullying, Child Abandonment, Depression, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Graphic abuse, Homophobic Language, Humiliation, M/M, OT21 (NCT), OT7 NCT Dream, Physical Abuse, Teen Angst, Violence, suggested violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2020-10-13 05:03:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20576909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikki_Ann/pseuds/Nikki_Ann
Summary: The Dreamies are in Highschool and just like every other high school, it's hell. Only Jaemin knew about Jisung and his situation. What happens when a nosy and loud boy from Shanghai decides to butt in?Was originally going to just be a ChenJi fic but I decided to add the others in! Expect a lot of ChenJi





	1. I Forgot My Guitar

**Author's Note:**

> Mark + rest of '99 line: Seniors  
00' Line: Juniors  
ChenJi: Sophomores

"Where are we going, Mark Hyung?" Chenle asked. He just wanted to go home and get his homework done.

"I left my guitar in the music room," Mark answered. "I don't want the drama club thinking they can use it."

The younger huffed and pouted, clearly not wanting to be at school any longer. Mark chuckled and pet him. "I'll be quick," he reassured Chenle.

Once they entered the music room, Mark immediately spotted his guitar, as well as two familiar figures practicing on the piano. He assumed that it was probably for the musical coming up. When they heard the door open, they looked in its direction.

"Ayye! It's Mark!" Renjun cheered.

"Hey guys," Mark waved. "I forgot my guitar."

"I knew that guitar looked familiar," Haechan laughed. "Who's the shorty?" He gestured towards Chenle.

"Rude," Chenle remarked.

Mark laughed as he grabbed his guitar. Before he could reply, Renjun gasped.

"Is this the kid you're hosting?" Renjun squeaked excitedly. Mark nodded in response.

"Yes. Guys, this is Chenle. He's from Shanghai," Mark stated. "Chenle, say hi."

"Hi," Chenle waved.

"These are my friends, Renjun and Haechan," Mark said to Chenle.

"I didn't realize you had those," Chenle teased.

Mark rolled his eyes while Haechan laughed loudly. "I like him!" Haechan announced.

"Of course you do," Mark remarked. "Well, we're gonna head home now."

"Wait, Hyung. Can you show us your guitar skills?" Renjun asked.

Mark stopped and smiled at the request. He looked around before grabbing a stool and sitting on it. "Alright. But just one song. Chenle wants to get home."

Renjun clapped in obvious excitement and decided to sit in a chair near the oldest. Haechan sat next to him as Chenle walked to stand behind Mark.

Mark grabbed his guitar pick and strummed a few chords to get a feeling for what song he should play. Once he figured it out, he started strumming the correct chords and began singing Bruno Mar's song Billionaire. Renjun watched and smiled while swaying his head to the sound of Mark's voice. He was enjoying every moment. 

Haechan did the same. He remembered singing the song with Mark two years ago for the school talent show. That day made him so nervous and scared. He was worried about messing up and making a fool of himself. To his relief though, Mark was by his side the whole time to help keep him calm. He had that ability on others: to just keep them calm. Haechan also knew that if he did mess up or made a fool of himself, Mark wouldn't hesitate to join in to make him feel better. Maybe that was when his crush on Mark had started to develop.

The calm moment that everyone was enjoying got interrupted by someone barging through the door in a state of clear panic. It was a boy who looked like a complete mess. His platinum blonde hair was disheveled, shirt untucked and looked like it had been tugged on several times, and he was panting hard.

"Jaemin hyung!" the boy called out before scanning the room. When he didn't find him, he quickly ran behind the chairs in the back of the room to hide. It was a good spot for hiding since the dip in the wall hid anyone from view of someone looking into the door. The boy slid down the wall once there and hugged his knees.

A few seconds later, another boy opened the door wearing a soccer uniform. Mark recognized that the uniform the boy was wearing happened to be from the unit that Jeno was in. "Have you seen a blonde kid come through here?" the soccer kid asked.

As the door opened, the blonde kid jumped and put his hands together in a silent plea. Mark had noticed and look back at the boy who just entered the room.

"No," Mark answered. "It's just us in here. And if you don't mind, we'd like to continue our jam session."

The boy nodded and bowed in apology before leaving the room. After a few seconds, everyone turned their attention to the scared boy in the back of the room. Mark stood up and sat his guitar down in its case. He took a few moments to think of what to do or say before walking over slowly and cautiously to the boy. Once there, he crouched down and took in the boy's state of being.

"Uh, Jaemin isn't here, but, my name is Mark and I can help you. What's your name?"

"Jisung," the boy replied quietly.

Mark nodded and looked Jisung up and down. He noted the visible bruise on his wrist and another one forming on his other hand. He decided to sit on the ground and smile at him. "Is there anything you want me to help you with? I'm sure with the four of us, we could find Jaemin pretty quickly." 

Jisung nodded slowly and looked at everyone in the room. "I'd like that... He's usually in here."

"Renjun, don't you have Jaemin's number?" Haechan asked.

Renjun nodded. "Yeah. I already texted him. Him and Jeno should be here soon," he replied.

Mark smiled at Jisung. "See? No problem. He'll be here soon."

Jisung nodded and stayed hugging his knees. He didn't talk but rather watched everyone else in the room interact. Mark stayed there and made sure to keep smiling so Jisung knew they meant him no harm. He then turned and looked at Renjun.

"Wait, why do you have Jaemin's number?" he asked.

Renjun chuckled. "Because he's always with Jeno. And Jeno is in my art class," he answered.

"I guess that makes sense," Mark said.

At that moment, two boys walked in. One boy was wearing the same soccer uniform from earlier and had black hair. The other was just in his school uniform and had light brown, almost natural red, hair. They both looked around the room and the black-haired boy smiled at everyone.

"Alright, I'm here. What's going on?"

"Jaemin hyung!" Jisung shouted the second the boy finished talking and ran into his arms.

"Jisung?" Jaemin held the boy close and played with his hair, confusion written on his face. "What happened?"

Mark stood up and faced them. "Some boys from the soccer team were chasing him or something. Judging from the bruise on his wrist, I assume they were bullying him."

Jaemin looked at the boy in his arms for a while before nodding. "Yeah. They do that." He sighed and peeked out the door. "C'mon. Let's get you home, Jisung."

Jisung nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jeno," Jaemin grabbed the black-haired boy's hand in an attempt to halfway bro-hug him before waving to everyone and leaving with Jisung.

Mark looked at everyone in the room. "Well, that was a bit odd. Dont'cha think?" he said.

"Especially for Jaemin," Jeno added. "He's never acted like that before."

"Does anyone even know who this kid is? I've never seen him around before," Haechan asked.

"Jisung Park," Chenle stated. "He's a sophomore like me. He's in my homeroom class."

Mark nodded and pet him. "Alright, well let's not dwell on it too much. I'm sure everything is okay," he said. "We're gonna head home now."

Chenle smiled and clapped softly as he followed Mark out the door. Once outside, they found the car that Mark's older brother Johnny had been waiting for them in and hopped inside. Johnny always liked to tease Mark just a little bit before finally driving them home. On the drive home, he always asked about the two boys' day as well.

"So what took you boys so long today?" Johnny asked.

"Well, I went to grab my guitar and played a song for Renjun and Haechan, and then this kid came busting through the door! He looked like a mess and it turns out some kids were bullying him. So we tried to keep him calm until Jaemin came by for him. But like, we've never seen this kid before and I hang out with Jaemin a lot. So the whole thing was really weird," Mark answered.

Chenle couldn't help but laugh at how Mark rambled on. When Johnny looked at him for confirmation, he nodded and smiled. "It's true."

"Well alright. That definitely sounds interesting," Johnny smiled and parked the car. "Let's go inside."

Mark and Chenle both hopped out of the car and grabbed their bags. Before reaching the steps to their house, Mark stopped and sighed. "Oh man!" he exclaimed. "I forgot my guitar in the music room!"

Chenle laughed loudly and jumped up and down. "You're so dumb, hyung!"


	2. Renjun Deserves The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun deserved the world and Haechan was damned if he was gonna get in the way of that.

Jeno stood there awkwardly in the room with Haechan and Renjun. He couldn't help stealing glances at Renjun before getting out his phone to look at that instead. His attention was brought back to said Chinese boy when he heard him laugh.

"Mark left his guitar again!" Renjun started laughing more as he got up to grab it. He zipped it up in its case and put it on his back. "I'll give it back to him tomorrow."

Haechan nodded and looked at Jeno. "Don't you have soccer practice?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! I do," Jeno chuckled and bowed to them. "I'll see you tomorrow in art class, Renjun." He smiled and waved at him before exiting the room.

Renjun chuckled at how awkward Jeno always seemed to be when Jaemin wasn't with him. It was kind of cute. He turned his attention to Haechan and smiled. "Why don't we call it a day and head home?" he suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Haechan said. "We have actual practice tomorrow anyways!" He laughed and reached up to stretch.

"True," Renjun smiled. "Let's go. You can just come with me to my house and spend the night if you want." He waved for the younger to follow him home.

"Sure," Haechan agreed and followed him out.

"I'll text Winwin ge and let him know you're coming home with me," Renjun stated.

"I'm sure at this point he just expects me to come home with you," Haechan pointed out with a chuckle.

Renjun laughed and nodded. "Good point."

"How is Winwin by the way?" Haechan asked and tilted his head.

Renjun hummed in thought before looking at Haechan. "Well, lately he's been hanging out with this Japanese guy from his photo-" he stopped and scratched his head to think of the correct word. "Phota, Po-to... Photography! His photography class." Renjun smiled and nodded proudly. "I think he likes him. He won't stop talking about him."

The thought of Winwin non-stop talking amused Haechan since he's usually very reserved around him. Probably because his Korean isn't exactly the best though. Haechan laughed and smiled at Renjun. He would never admit it but Renjun means a lot to him. They've been friends since he arrived in Korea four years ago. At that time, he wasn't very good at Korean and was often made fun of for it. It always made Haechan mad to see dumb jocks, who were way less intelligent than Renjun, berate him for his Korean vocabulary. He's seen their Korean essays and they weren't any better.

Now, Renjun's Korean was much better, and way sassier, thanks to Haechan. Once they became friends, Haechan would often teach him smart remarks to tell to the other guys at school that teased him. And then, of course, it backfired and he'd use those remarks on Haechan.

That's how their friendship worked though. They'd make sassy remarks to each other and make everyone else in the room uncomfortable. Then, they'd laugh it off and hug each other.

Haechan couldn't remember how he ended up staying at Renjun's every night, but he assumed it happened because he always helped the other with his homework. Lately though, it seemed like Renjun was the one helping Haechan with his homework. He was very smart and Haechan, well, not as much.

"Hey Nerd," Haechan said. "Are you gonna help me with today's math homework?"

"Of course, Loser," Renjun replied. "But maybe you should start actually paying attention in class instead of fawning over how hot the teacher is."

"So you admit he's hot?" Haechan remarked.

Renjun hit Haechan's arm and laughed. "No..." he looked at the other before giving in with a sigh. "Okay, he's hot. But you still need to pay attention!"

"Why do you care so much about your grades anyways?" Haechan asked.

Renjun turned to the younger. "How do you think I got here in the first place?" he challenged. "I worked hard and got a sponsorship. That's why I live with Winwin instead of my parents. They didn't have the money to come with."

Haechan had never thought about that before. It definitely makes sense now though. "Well alright," he nodded in response.

The Chinese boy laughed as he entered his home. He shouted something out in Chinese, not waiting for a reply, before leading Haechan upstairs to his room. Once there, he threw his bag onto the ground and set Mark's guitar on the bed. Then, he flopped down on the same bed next to the guitar, careful not to hit it.

While smiling at Renjun, Haechan also threw his bag down and sat next to him. Even though he's older, Haechan couldn't help but find Renjun cute. He's always wearing hoodies way to big for him and wearing snapbacks backward in order to look 'swaggy' as he put it. On someone like Jeno or Jaemin, possibly even Mark, it would definitely exude 'swag' but on someone like Renjun, it was just adorable. He was too small and adorable to be swaggy.

Renjun sat up abruptly and grabbed his bag. "Let's get our homework out of the way before dinner is ready," he said. Haechan agreed and grabbed his bag as well.

Doing homework took much longer than it should have. Renjun did a terrible job at explaining today's lesson to Haechan, which earned him another scolding from the Chinese male. He complained that he wouldn't have to explain everything if Haechan had just paid attention the first time.

Finally, their homework was done and they headed downstairs to eat dinner. Winwin waved to them as he sat down the plates of food and grabbed soda for them to drink.

"Enjoy!" Winwin exclaimed happily in his limited Korean. He chuckled and smiled at the younger two before grabbing chopsticks and sitting down.

Both boys sat down as well and began eating. Renjun talked to Winwin in Chinese, then encouraged him to practice his Korean with Haechan. He did but kept looking to Renjun for help. To which the younger shook his head and told him that this is how he learns.

After dinner, Renjun helped Winwin clean up while Haechan got ready for bed. He had his own drawer full of clothes from staying over so often. He smiled at the thought and changed into his pajamas before he sat on the bed to wait for Renjun.

Renjun walked into the room a few minutes later and immediately took his shirt off. The gesture that was probably meant to be manly just made Haechan laugh. In return, he decided to throw it at the younger, earning a groan of disgust from him. Renjun laughed then proceeded to change into pajamas of his own. Afterward, he sat on the bed next to Haechan.

"I should probably tell Mark that I have his guitar," Renjun laughed then grabbed his phone. He had started typing then stopped when he got an idea. Taking Mark's guitar out of its case, he positioned it between his legs. While gently holding the neck of it, he put his head next to the guitar's head and took a selfie to send to Mark.

Haechan laughed and clapped at Renjun's idea. After he sent the picture with a message saying he had Mark's guitar, Renjun smiled and hugged on it. Haechan couldn't help but smile as well.

"What is Mark hyung to you?" Renjun asked.

Haechan was caught off guard by the question and stammered for an answer. "Uh, he's a really good friend and fun to tease. I guess I can rely on him too," he finally answered with a chuckle. He would never admit that he had feelings for Mark out loud.

Renjun smiled and nodded.

"What about you?" Haechan wondered.

The other boy's cheeks seemed to color at the question. "Well, uh, he's smart and someone who's helped me out a lot. He's also really handsome and someone that I like a lot," he half-smiled at the last part and bit his lip nervously.

In hearing those last words, Haechan's heart sank a little bit. He wanted Renjun to have a chance with Mark. So, he had decided that he would kill all feelings that he had for Mark right then and there because, to Haechan, Renjun deserved the world. And Haechan was damned if he was gonna get in the way of his best friend's happiness.

Haechan smiled half-heartedly and nodded. "Well, maybe he likes you back?" he encouraged and smiled brighter to hide his pain.

"I hope so," Renjun smiled so innocently as he hugged the guitar he had yet to put away. The guitar of both of their crushes. The guitar of the man that Haechan had liked for years only to find out that his best friend also liked him.

The younger nodded and watched as Renjun smiled in thought. "We should probably head to bed though," Haechan suggested.

At that, Renjun nodded and put the guitar away. Both males laid down for the night to sleep and both males went to sleep with the same person in their mind: Mark. The only difference is that Haechan tried so hard not to think of him.


	3. Mission: Become His Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle couldn't get Jisung off his mind since the incident from yesterday. So today, he decided that they would become friends.

Chenle hopped in the car with Johnny and Mark and threw his bag onto the seat. The day started off like normal with Johnny teasing Mark about something, today it was his guitar, and asking Chenle how his studying was going. The Chinese boy was too distracted to say anything more than a simple 'good' as he stared at the window.

Johnny glanced at Chenle a few times in his rear-view mirror. "Are you alright, kiddo?" he asked. "You're usually more talkative than this."

"I'm just thinking is all," Chenle replied.

Mark looked at the younger boy and nodded. It was Johnny who spoke again. "Well, what's on your mind? Penny for your thoughts?"

When Mark saw the confused look on Chenle's face, he couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "It's an English expression used to basically just ask what you're thinking about," he explained.

Johnny nodded when Chenle understood. "Oh okay. Well, I just kept thinking about what happened yesterday," Chenle said.

"About that kid?" Mark guessed.

"About Jisung, yeah," the younger nodded.

"You said he's in your homeroom class, right?" Mark checked.

Chenle nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm gonna talk to him today," he thought out loud.

Johnny pulled up into the drop off lane and smiled. "Alright, well you boys have fun. Have a good day and good luck in school!" he encouraged them and waved them off. Remembering something, he rolled the window down. "Don't forget your guitar today, Mark!"

"I won't!" Mark called back and laughed. 

Chenle also laughed loudly and hopped excitedly around. He waved to Mark and ran off to get to class. He wanted to see Jisung. The boy had piqued his interest and he was a naturally curious kid.

Upon arriving to class, he scanned the room for Jisung. He found him in the back of the class away from everyone. Deciding to say hi, he walked over and sat next to Jisung.

"Hi," Chenle waved and smiled at him.

Jisung looked up then at Chenle and around to make sure he was talking to him. When he found no one else around them, Jisung pointed to himself in confusion. "Me?"

Chenle nodded and giggled. "Yeah, you," he said.

"Um, hi," Jisung replied.

"My name is Zhong Chenle. Uh, I came from China at the beginning of the school year," he told him.

Jisung nodded and looked at him again. "I know. You told everyone at the beginning of the school year."

Chenle gasped and squeaked excitedly. "You remembered!" he exclaimed happily and laughed.

At the sudden shout, Jisung jumped and stared at the Chinese boy with wide eyes. When Chenle saw his face, he lowered his voice back down.

"Sorry. I got excited," he smiled shyly. "And you're Park Jisung, right?"

Jisung nodded quickly and Chenle took that as in invitation to keep talking. He really wanted to be this boy's friend now.

"Did you do last night's homework?" Chenle asked.

"No. I don't even have the paper," Jisung answered. "I lost it."

Chenle grabbed his bag quickly and handed him a piece of paper. "I have a copy! Do it real quick," he smiled.

Jisung stared at the copy for a while before looking at Chenle confused. "Why do you have a copy of last night's homework?"

"I always make extra copies in case someone needs it! But since I don't have friends, no one ever needs one," the Chinese boy said with a small chuckle. "But now you need it! so it's all worth it!"

Jisung was at a loss for words at the other's optimism. Looking at the paper in front of him, it did make him kind of want to do his homework, but he didn't have a pencil to do it with. Too embarrassed to actually say anything, he just stared at the paper then looked at the Chinese boy.

"What?" Chenle stared back at Jisung and smiled. "Do you need a pencil? I have lots of those too!" He pulled one out and handed it to him. "You can keep that one," he giggled.

Quickly taking the pencil, Jisung began working on his homework. Chenle watched him for a short while before wanting to speak once again.

"How come you don't bring your stuff to class? How did lose your homework last night? Do you have pencils of your own?" he asked.

Jisung sighed and looked up from his homework. "Because I don't have a bag. And no, I don't have pencils of my own. There's a lot that I don't have," he stated.

Chenle gasped. "What?" He grabbed his own bag again and looked at it. "Then, you can have mine! I'll carry my stuff around today and you can keep the bag! That way you can always carry your stuff with you!" he suggested with a smile.

Jisung stopped and began twirling his pencil. He liked the idea of having his own bag but shook his head. "No. That's your bag," he dismissed.

"Not if I give it to you," Chenle argued.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Jisung questioned. "Are you just trying to get close to me so that you can beat me up and humiliate me easier too?"

Chenle was taken aback by the sudden accusation. "No. I just want to be your friend," he said. "If you don't want my bag, I'll buy you a new one. What's your favorite color?"

"Black," the other stated quietly. He didn't believe that this strange boy would actually buy him a bag anyways. People don't just do that. This isn't a fairy tale and this boy wasn't his fairy godmother or some shit.

"Okay," Chenle noted and smiled at him. The more they talked, the more he wanted to be friends with Park Jisung. He would make it his mission! Jisung didn't even have to talk much if he didn't want to. Chenle could do all the talking. He was good at that.

"People don't like me," Jisung confessed. "So if you're hoping to live a quiet life here in Korea, it won't happen with me."

Chenle smiled brightly and Jisung swore this boy just didn't know how not to smile. "That's okay. I'll protect you! I'm a strong person," he declared matter of factly.

As if on cue, two boys, that Chenle recognized as the soccer boys from yesterday, made their way over to them. One of them grabbed Chenle's bag and dumped the contents onto the ground. The other took Jisung's homework and ripped it in half.

"What a cute couple. A nerd from China and a loser who gets the shit kicked out of him every day," one said as the other spit at Jisung.

"Stop it!" Chenle demanded. "Leave us alone and pick up the stuff you dropped!" He stood up and glared at them to try and look intimidating.

Jisung couldn't help but shake his head at the futile attempt the Chinese boy made. It was usually easier to just let them throw a few insults at him and be on their way. He worried that Chenle might get himself beat up if he keeps it up.

Both boys laughed. "And who's gonna make us? You?" The taller boy pushed Chenle back. "I certainly don't think so!"

Chenle stumbled back and tripped over his things sprawled out on the floor. "Leave us alone or I'll tell Teacher Kim on you!" he threatened.

"Oh? Teacher Kim?" the shorter mocked.

"And what's she gonna do? Spank us?" The taller bent down and stuck his butt out and the shorter immediately followed by making swinging motions towards his behind. They both imitated being spanked as the taller spoke in a high pitched voice. "Oh, ow~! Hit me harder~!"

The scene happening in front of him made Chenle furrow his brows in disgust. He had concluded that boys were absolutely the worst. "You shouldn't objectify our teacher like that! She's a beautiful woman that you should treat with respect!" he shouted at them.

"Well thank you, Chenle. I appreciate that." The lone female voice in an all-boys' school made everyone freeze in fear. No one had noticed their teacher walk in the room.

"Oh shit," the two boys stopped, stood upright, and turned to face the front.

Even though Chenle had done nothing wrong, he also stood in fear as the teacher stared the three of them down. She was a very sweet person until you got on her bad side.

"Chenle, you may sit down," she said sweetly.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered and quickly found his seat.

"You two, detention. Now," she commanded with a snap. "You're not even worth a trip to the principal's office. And I'll be calling both your mothers later on to let them know about this behavior."

"Yes, ma'am," the boys said defeatedly before walking out of the room.

Chenle looked at Jisung with wide eyes. He hadn't even gotten in trouble but he was still very much scared. When they made eye contact, both boys couldn't help but giggle slightly. Hearing Jisung giggle made Chenle's stomach do flips. This whole time he hadn't so much as even smiled back at the Chinese boy. To Chenle, this was two wins. He made Jisung giggle and deterred getting beat up.

Remembering that all of his stuff was still on the ground, Chenle gasped and slid to the floor to gather it all up. Once he had it all collected, he sat back down and smiled at Jisung. To his surprise, Jisung smiled back. After everything that's already happened this morning, Chenle couldn't help but feel accomplished.

We are definitely gonna become friends. Mission complete. Maybe?


	4. Huang Renjun? Yeah, I Know Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeno took art to become Renjun's friend. Enter Yangyang.

Jeno gathered his items and began to make his way to his next and last class: Art. It was probably his favorite class of the day. Not because it was the last class or because he liked drawing. Drawing was okay. The main reason he liked that class was because of a certain sassy Chinese boy that happened to like art. Huang Renjun. Jeno just couldn't stop thinking about him. It was as if the boy had cast a spell on him or something. Somehow Renjun always ended up invading his mind.

Once he had arrived to class, he spotted Renjun immediately and sat next to him. This boy was pure beauty and talent. He could do everything including make Jeno a nervous mess. His stomach did flips just thinking about him but he couldn't stop doing it. Renjun was an amazing artist and also very smart. Jeno also remembered hearing him sing as he practiced for the upcoming musical. Everything. He could do it all.

Jeno had also finally remembered that he hadn't greeted said Chinese boy yet and looked at him with a big smile. He waved at him and chuckled. "Hey, Renjun," he said.

"Hey, Jeno," Renjun greeted back. He noticed just how aloof the other boy seemed and giggled slightly. The soccer team was filled with idiots and Jeno was no different. The only difference was that Jeno was a nice idiot. He also wasn't the only nice idiot on the team though. There was also Lucas and Xiao Dejun from Mark's grade as well as Yangyang from his own. They were nice.

Renjun looked at Jeno and watched as he got out his sketchbook then proceeded to spill all his colored pencils. He couldn't help but half-grin as the other boy sighed at his own clumsiness. It was little things like this that Renjun found cute sometimes. Instead of sitting there like an asshole, he decided to help Jeno pick up his pencils that were scattered everywhere.

"Aish. You're so clumsy, Jeno," Renjun teased with a giggle.

"Sorry," Jeno replied with a smile.

Renjun found it fun to tease Jeno. He was always smiling about something even while being teased. Renjun would probably hate to see what Jeno looked like angry. It's possible that would be cute too though.

To Jeno, Art was more of a blow-off class. He would still get the things he needed to do done but, during class, he would take the opportunity to talk to Renjun. He hoped that they could hang out sometime outside of class. Jeno really wanted to get closer to Renjun. He seemed like such an interesting person.

"So Jeno. When's the big game?" Renjun asked, bringing Jeno out of his own thoughts.

"Huh?" That was always his first response. Renjun was used to it by now. "Oh, in two weeks," Jeno answered.

"Are you nervous? Do you think you guys are ready?" the Chinese boy wondered.

Jeno nodded. "I'm not nervous right now, but I always get nervous right before a game," he confessed. "But this is also the first game of the season, so I think we'll be alright," he added with a smile.

Renjun looked at Jeno again and smiled. He was always so passionate about his games. It was really cool.

"Will you be there to cheer me on?" Jeno asked.

Renjun was a bit surprised at the sudden invitation but didn't let it show. "Only if you do the same for me at the musical in three weeks," he answered.

"Deal," Jeno agreed. "Promise?" He held his pinky out for Renjun to make the promise official. Renjun smiled and interlocked his pinky with Jeno's. It was a promise.

Both males exchanged looks and smiled at their promise. Renjun giggled shyly while Jeno chuckled the same way. It did seem like they were becoming friends now and that made Jeno very happy.

Class went by like that and Jeno gathered his things. Renjun did the same and headed out before him. On his way past him, Renjun patted Jeno's back and let it slide across as he walked away as if to say goodbye for the day.

Jeno looked up at the Chinese boy when he felt his hand on his back and waved goodbye in response. Slinging his bag onto his shoulder, he headed for his locker to put away his school things and grab his duffle bag full of his soccer gear. He had about an hour before he had to go to practice and figured he'd get dressed early. Practice didn't start until five o'clock but since he was the team captain, he showed up 30 minutes early to make a game plan. 

After changing in the bathroom into his soccer uniform, he decided to go find Jaemin so they could talk about their day. As he headed down the hallway towards the exit, he wondered as to why so many waved at him and said hi. Jeno never quite understood how popularity worked but he had guessed that he might be on the higher end of it. 

What made people popular? Smarts? He wasn't the smartest but by no means was he dumb. If anyone wanted to know what dumb was, all they had to do was talk to his teammate Lucas. That boy was a hazard to society but a great goalkeeper. Good looks maybe? That didn't make too much sense to him either since they went to an all-boys school and Jeno didn't find himself that attractive. Was it cuz he was on the soccer team? He had to admit it was pretty cool to be the soccer team captain, especially as a Junior.

Jeno exited the main building and began to make his way to the Music building. While outside, he stopped to look at the scenery. The leaves hadn't quite began to change color yet since it was only the beginning of Autumn but it still looked pretty. Jeno just enjoyed being outside and always had. He wanted to be outside as much as possible.

When he noticed a couple sitting on a bench under the trees and holding hands, Jeno couldn't help but think of Renjun. He wanted to do that too. He wanted to hold Renjun's hand as they sat on a bench and watch the leaves fall from the trees. He wanted to hug Renjun from behind as they stood underneath a tree and felt the Autumn wind flow through their hair. He just wanted to be next to Renjun.

Jeno's peaceful thoughts were interrupted when one of his teammates noticed the familiar number 12 of his uniform and decided to chat. "Hey! Ready for the big game, Jeno?" Yangyang asked.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so," Jeno replied before looking at him.

Yangyang slung his arm around Jeno's shoulders and gave him a questioning look. "Well that didn't sound very convincing. What's on your mind, Cap?"

"Well, uh, it's just that I've been thinking about someone for a long time and I just can't get them off my mind," Jeno confessed.

Yangyang nodded. "Alright. Well lemme guess. It's a boy," he said.

Jeno was shocked and confused. "How did you-?"

"Because we go to an all-boys school!" Yangyang pointed out. "Plus, I don't think any of us actually know how to talk to a girl."

Jeno nodded and chuckled in agreement. "Good point. Also, the game isn't for two weeks."

"I know," Yangyang laughed. "So who is it?" he wondered.

Jeno stared at the other boy for a moment before realizing his question. "Uh, do you know Renjun?" he asked.

"Huang Renjun? Yeah, I know him. Don't you know that all Chinese people know each other?" Yangyang joked.

"Wait, really?" Jeno was easy to fool. "Hold on. I thought you were from Germany?"

Yangyang rolled his eyes at his soccer captain's stupidity. "I am from Germany. But I'm Chinese too!" He huffed and took his arm back from Jeno's shoulder. "But what about Renjun? He's the one you're thinking about all the time?"

Jeno nodded slowly and turn to his teammate. "I really like Huang Renjun and I needed to tell someone other than Jaemin."

"Well alright," Yangyang replied. "Mission accomplished."

"Thanks, smartass," Jeno remarked.

Yangyang put his hand to his chest dramatically and gasped. "How rude! Such profanity."

It was Jeno's turn to roll his eyes. "I know you say worse in Chinese. Xiaojun tells me. Look, do you actually know Renjun?"

"Yeah kinda. He's in my Korean class. Why?" Yangyang questioned.

"'Cause I was hoping you could try and help me out. Maybe try to be my wingman?" Jeno hoped. "I've been crushing on Renjun for so long."

"I mean, I guess I could certainly try," Yangyang chuckled. "But don't you think you'd have better luck with Lucas?"

"Why Lucas?" Jeno asked.

"Because him and Mark are friends. And isn't Renjun, like, best friends with Mark?" Yangyang stated.

Jeno thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. That's a good point."

"So Lucas?" Yangyang clarified.

"Maybe," Jeno answered. "He's kind of an idiot."

"Fair point," Yangyang agreed.

Jeno chuckled and waved to him. "We can talk about this later. I'll see you at practice."

"Where are you going?" the other wondered.

"To talk to Jaemin. He is my best friend," Jeno said. "I always talk to him before practice."

"Okay," Yangyang shrugged and waved Jeno off.

Jeno smiled and adjusted his duffle bag to sit more comfortable on his shoulder then hurried into the music building to find his best friend.


	5. Jisung Deserves The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung deserved the world and Jaemin wanted to give it to him.

Jisung enjoyed his daily routine of finding Jaemin in the music room and relaxing next to him while the older played the piano. He leaned his head onto Jaemin's shoulder and smiled. Jaemin was the one person in the world that Jisung trusted with his life. He was always there for him when he needed him the most. And for that, Jisung was very much thankful.

"Do you want to try?" Jaemin asked softly.

"I don't know how to play," Jisung confessed.

"I can teach you," Jaemin smiled and began to explain the setup of the piano.

Jisung listened attentively, genuinely wanting to learn. He wanted to make Jaemin proud. Nodding, he hovered one hand over the piano keys and placed his fingers on the keys. Gently, not wanting to make too much sound, he pressed one of the keys down and smiled at the older.

Seeing Jisung smile always made Jaemin so happy. He chuckled and ruffled the younger male's hair. "Are you coming home with me tonight?" he asked.

Jisung sat there for a moment before he shook his head. "No. It might be better for me to go home today." He looked up at the older with big eyes. "Just expect me to be there later."

Hearing those words made Jaemin sigh. He nodded nonetheless and grabbed his bag. "Are you hungry? I have some leftovers in my lunchbox if you want them."

Jisung nodded and smiled when Jaemin handed him a small bag of grapes. He really liked grapes and was very hungry. Before a kid decided it was a good idea to flip Jisung's tray off the table, he only got to eat like one bite of his lunch. If it wasn't for Jaemin, he probably would have died of malnutrition or even starvation by now.

As Jaemin put his arm around Jisung to hold him closer, the door swung open and Jeno entered. He cringed at his own lack of strength control and chuckled. Jaemin smiled at the sight of his best friend but noticed how Jisung cowered into him. He petted the younger and leaned down to whisper to him.

"It's okay. He's my friend," Jaemin reassured. "His name is Jeno and I've known him for a long time. I trust him."

Upon hearing Jaemin's last words, Jisung visibly relaxed and looked at the said boy. He was wearing a soccer uniform, which made Jisung uncomfortable, but Jaemin trusted this boy. So, cautiously, Jisung did too.

"Hey Jaemin," Jeno greeted with a smile. "Is that the kid from yesterday?"

"Yes. His name is Jisung," Jaemin answered and turned his attention to the younger boy. "Say hello."

Jisung waved and bowed awkwardly. "Hello."

Jeno smiled brightly at Jisung which made him relax just a bit more. The older male glanced around the room before grabbing a chair and sitting near the other two. He seemed nice.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Jeno. Did something happen today?" Jaemin asked.

The smile on Jeno's face got wider as he thought about his day, making his eyes disappear. "Yeah. So, Renjun asked me about the soccer game coming up. Right?" Jeno started.

"Okay. What happened?" Jaemin smiled, genuinely curious about his friend's day.

"I told him it was in two weeks and then asked him if he'd come to cheer me on," the other continued, smile getting bigger, which Jisung didn't think was even possible.

"Alright. And what did he say?" Jaemin patted Jeno's leg excitedly.

"He said only if I did the same for him at his musical!" Jeno practically squealed with joy after he said that. "And we pinky promised on it!"

"Ayye!" Jaemin cheered for him and smiled. "That's awesome, Jeno!" He patted the other's leg more aggressively and laughed. "I'm rooting for you man."

"Thank you," Jeno smiled and chuckled. He looked at the smaller boy then back to Jaemin. "So, tell me about your day. Anything interesting happen today?"

Jaemin shrugged. "Nothing really. I had Mark hyung texting me all day about our music project. He's stressed we either won't get it done in time or that it'll be subpar. And apparently Renjun has his guitar because that boy can't remember to do anything. I'm surprised he remembers to take that Chenle kid home every day," he complained with a chuckle.

"No kidding. Tell me about it!" Jeno joined in. "He forgot his phone one time after visiting Lucas during practice. And get this, Lucas tried to text him to tell him that he had his phone."

Both boys began cracking up at their stories. Jisung, on the other hand, just watched them. He had perked up at the mention of Chenle but wasn't 100 percent certain as to why. Sure the kid was interesting but he had just started to get to know him.

"I know Chenle," Jisung stated quietly.

At hearing the youngest boy speak, the older two turned their attention to him.

"Yeah?" it was Jeno who spoke. "He said you two had homeroom together."

Jisung nodded. "We do," he said. "He talked to me today."

"Really?" Jaemin smiled at the sudden news.

"Tell us about it," Jeno encouraged.

"He talks a lot." The other boys couldn't help but chuckle at Jisung's comment. "I don't mind it that much. I just listen to him talk. He doesn't expect me to talk back with him which is nice. He's nice though."

Jaemin nodded and smiled. He was happy to hear that Jisung had finally made a friend. While playing with the younger's hair, he looked at Jeno. 

"What do you plan to do for the day?" Jaemin asked.

"Got practice. After that, I'm gonna go home and relax," Jeno answered. "Maybe text Renjun."

"Nice," the other nodded his approval.

Jeno pointed at him and snapped. "Oh!" Jaemin guessed that he had an idea as the other slapped his own leg a few times. "The three of us should hang out at some point! You, me, and Renjun. That way you can get to know him and I can possibly get closer to him."

"I don't know if I wanna third wheel you and Renjun," Jaemin protested.

"You won't be! You'll be like my wingman!" Jeno urged.

Jaemin chuckled and gave in. "Okay okay. But you gotta set it up first," he said.

"I got you," Jeno clapped happily and celebrated by waving his hands around.

Watching his best friend, Jaemin couldn't help but smile. He was so cute when he did stuff like that. "Watch this backfire and I end up getting closer to Renjun than you," he teased and then laughed. "Or even end up falling for him!"

Jeno gasped as his eyes got wide. "Bro, I wouldn't even blame you if you fell for him! He's literally so perfect."

Both boys laughed and high-fived.

"I won't hold back though," Jaemin said. "I will demand attention on our weird three-way date. Expect it." He pointed at Jeno and chuckled.

Jeno laughed loudly while leaning back in his chair. "Just don't scare Renjun away. That's all I ask."

Jaemin nodded. "I won't."

"Good," Jeno smiled and got up. "I should head out though. I always love talking to you, Jaemin."

Jaemin stood up as well. "Alright. Text me tonight after practice." He opened his arms to give Jeno a hug.

"I will," the other replied and gave in upon seeing Jaemin's open arms. He hugged his best friend and smiled. Jaemin always gave the warmest hugs.

Jaemin patted Jeno's back then decided to sneak attack Jeno's cheek with a kiss. When it landed and Jeno jerked his head away, Jaemin laughed maniacally. "I did it!"

Jeno chuckled slightly and sighed. "Yeah, you did. You got me." 

Jeno hated Jaemin's kisses. He didn't use to. But he does now. Jaemin has been doing that ever since they first met. Ever since freshman year is when he started hating them. He didn't hate Jaemin's kisses because he didn't like affection. He hated Jaemin's kisses because they were Jaemin's. He hated what they did to him. He hated that they made his stomach do summersaults. He hated the memories that those kisses made Jeno think of.

Grabbing his duffle bag, Jeno shook his thoughts away and forced a smile. He waved to Jaemin and Jisung and opened the door. After they waved back, he left the room and headed towards the Sports Complex.

"He seems nice," Jisung said with a nod.

Jaemin smiled and pulled the younger boy into a hug. "He's so nice and he's been my best friend for years." The older played with Jisung's hair as he reminisced his times with Jeno. "I trust him so much."

Jisung looked up at Jaemin and nodded. "Then I trust him too," he told him.

Jaemin stared at the younger boy in surprise. "Really? That easily?"

He nodded again. "I trust you with my life, Jaemin hyung," Jisung stated. "So if you trust him, then I trust him too."

Jaemin couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. This boy, Park Jisung, was so special to him and hearing that made him so happy. He would do anything for him. "We should probably head out," Jaemin suggested.

Jisung nodded and stood up. "Okay."

Both boys left the building and made their way towards their houses. Jaemin stayed with Jisung to walk him home. Once there, they stood outside and faced each other. Jaemin sighed and hugged Jisung gently. Afterward, he held the younger boy's face in his hands.

"I hope today isn't so bad," Jaemin tried to be optimistic. "I'll be at home waiting for you."

Jisung nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay," his voice was shaky as he pulled away from the older male. He waved to him and headed for his house.

Not wanting to witness anything, Jaemin walked towards his own house as Jisung approached the door. Once at his own house, he went inside, threw his stuff onto the ground, and flopped onto the bed. He hugged his blanket tightly and curled up. It was lonely living alone but he was thankful for the roof over his head.

After a small nap, Jaemin decided to shower. When he finished, he noted that it was already seven o'clock and began to clean up his house then do his homework. As he finished and began to put it away, he was startled by a knock at the door.

Quickly getting up, he hurried to the door and opened it to reveal a hurt and crying Jisung. He rubbed the younger boy's back gently before ushering him inside and closing the door. Moving them to the bed, Jaemin sat against the wall and patted his leg for the younger to join him. Jisung crawled over to him and rested his head on the older's abdomen.

Jaemin gently placed a hand on Jisung's head and began to play with his hair to calm him down. It always made his heart hurt to see the boy in his arms like this. He examined the boy and noticed the new cut on Jisung's jawline and his busted bottom lip. Jaemin sighed.

"When you're ready to, I'll get clothes ready for you and you can take a shower," the older spoke softly.

"Thank you, Hyung," Jisung whispered. "He was tipsy. So I got off with a couple hits and a bottle break..."

Jaemin exhaled in dismay at Jisung's words but nodded. "I'll patch you up after your shower, okay?"

Jisung nodded and sat up. He was ready for a shower and headed for the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, he stripped down and looked at his pathetic figure in the mirror. Bruises covered his chest and arms. He couldn't see his back, but he assumed it was bad there too. His eyes were sunken in with awful bags under them. Jisung also noticed his new cut and his busted lip. It was swollen and Jisung sighed. As if his lips weren't big enough, now one was swollen. He was also all skin and bone from only really being fed by Jaemin.

Not wanting to look at the resemblance of death staring back at him any longer, he turned on the water to the shower and hopped in. Jisung hated himself. He was worthless and everyone except Jaemin seemed to know that. Jaemin was such a nice person and Jisung didn't deserve him or his kindness. Jisung let the water run over him. It hurt in his open wounds but felt nice to get clean again.

Jaemin sighed and got up after hearing the water run for a few minutes. He grabbed a pink sweater and black sweat pants for Jisung and went into the bathroom to set them on the sink. While in there, he picked up Jisung's dirty clothes and went to throw them into the washer. Afterward, even though it was almost nine o'clock, he started to make dinner. He never made food unless Jisung was here.

After his shower, Jisung put on the clothes that Jaemin had layed out for him. Even while still in the bathroom, he could smell the food cooking from the kitchen and his stomach growled at the thought of being fed. Jisung sighed and made his way out and into the kitchen. He hugged Jaemin from behind and rested his head on the older male's back.

Feeling Jisung's arms wrap around him, Jaemin smiled. He turned around and had Jisung hop up onto the counter so that he could tend to his wounds. The younger boy obeyed and watched as Jaemin got out the first aid kit and patched him up. Once that was done, the older finished cooking and sat with Jisung to eat.

After dinner was gone, Jaemin cleaned up and layed down on his bed. Jisung followed and snuggled into him. He felt safe in Jaemin's arms and that was all that mattered at that moment. He closed his eyes and slowly felt himself drift to sleep.

Jaemin watched as Jisung's chest rose and fell with each breath. He wished that he could do more for the boy in his arms. He wished there was more he was capable of doing. He wished the younger boy didn't have to go through all of this. He wished that the other could just live with him instead. He wanted him to understand that there were good people out there. Jaemin wanted Jisung to be happy. Park Jisung was special to him. To Jaemin, Jisung deserved the world. And he wanted to give it to him.

But right now, Jisung was safe in his arms and that was all that mattered at that moment.


	6. What Do You Need?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle is nosy. But Jisung already knew that.

Chenle arrived at school with Mark and hugged him tightly. "Bye hyung!" he said with a wave.

Mark hugged back. "Bye Chenle. Stay out of trouble today!" he called after him and waved back.

"No promises!" Chenle laughed loudly and ran off.

Mark shook his head and chuckled then headed to class.

Chenle hurried to class and sat next to Jisung like he did yesterday. As he had done before, he got out last night's homework and a pencil and placed it on the younger boy's desk. Afterward, he dug in his bag and pulled out a notebook and a pencil.

"Morning," Chenle greeted with a giggle.

"Hey Chenle," Jisung replied and glanced at the homework. He didn't really feel like doing it today. In fact, he didn't feel like doing anything today. The younger boy didn't even want to come to school. But knowing that the world didn't revolve around him, he came to school anyway and was going to do his homework as well. He sighed and began writing.

Chenle had just set his notebook down to draw when we heard Jisung sigh. Setting his bag down, he looked over at the younger boy to make sure he was alright. He wasn't really for sure since Jisung was always quiet but noticed the bandaid placed vertically on his jawline, making half of it rest under his chin, and his bruised and swollen lower lip. Chenle wanted to ask what had happened. He wanted to make sure the other was okay. But he also knew that he was in no position to ask that.

Even though Chenle had considered him a friend, he didn't know what Jisung considered him. He wanted so badly to be Jisung's friend. He wanted to make him smile and laugh just like he did yesterday. Hearing the other boy laugh made his stomach fill with butterflies. It was an addicting feeling. He also wanted to be there for him when others picked on him. Jisung didn't deserve to be bullied and wondered why no one had stuck up for him before.

"You're quiet today," Jisung's voice snapped Chenle back into reality.

Chenle smiled at him. "Sorry. I got a little lost thinking about stuff," he giggled his reply and looked at the notebook he had yet to draw on. Grabbing his pencil, he began drawing at the top of the page. "Hey Jisung?" When the other boy hummed in response, he continued. "Do you have a phone? I was hoping we could exchange numbers and text."

Jisung stopped what he was doing and just stared at the paper in front of him. He had almost forgotten that it was a normal thing for people to have phones nowadays. Tearing his eyes away from his homework, he shook his head at Chenle. "No. I don't have one," he answered. "If I did, it'd have to practically be indestructible. It'd need like, Gorilla Glass, or something like that."

The Chinese boy couldn't help but smile as Jisung talked. "Is it because you're clumsy?" he asked.

Jisung took a moment to think before he nodded. "Uh, yeah."

The hesitation in the other boy's words made Chenle curious as to why he had to think about that. But once again, he knew they weren't close enough for him to ask. Instead, he turned his attention to his notebook and pretended to sketch. "It's supposed to get a little chilly within the coming week," Chenle said.

"Yeah. It does that. It's Fall," Jisung remarked.

Chenle giggled and spoke again. "Well, do you have a favorite jacket that you wear or something? Mine is a blue one from China."

Jisung shrugged and glanced at Chenle. "Not really. If I can find one, I just wear a sweater under my uniform," he answered.

Chenle gasped and giggled. "I love sweaters! They're so nice," he said excitedly. "The really big ones are the best! They're like warm hugs~"

Those words made Jisung chuckle. That was a cute way of describing sweaters. They were warm like hugs. Jaemin always gave the warmest hugs. His hugs made Jisung feel safe.

When he heard Jisung chuckle, Chenle felt so happy. The highlight of his days was starting to become this boy's laugh. It never failed to warm Chenle right up. He stared at the other boy for a short while with a big smile on his face.

Jisung could feel Chenle's eyes on him and felt almost embarrassed. This boy was strange but he kind of liked his company. He felt his cheeks heat up as the other boy's gaze continued to stare into him and decided to hide it by resting his head in his hand. Since Chenle sat to the left of him, he only had to hide that side of his face. No one had ever given Jisung this much attention before and he didn't know how he felt about it.

"Do you like to draw? Or maybe write?" Chenle asked. "My favorite kind of notebooks are the really big 5 subject notebooks. Oh! And they have to be college-ruled!" he exclaimed. "I don't know why someone would ever use wide-ruled." He laughed and looked back at his own notebook.

"I wouldn't know the difference," Jisung told him. "Teacher Kim always has to give me paper if we need it during class. So I just take whatever." He shrugged and finished his homework.

Chenle nodded. "What's your favorite animal? Sometimes you remind me of a squirrel. It's all in the face. I like cats."

Jisung scoffed. Was that supposed to be nice? This boy just never stopped talking. "Well, you remind me of a kicked puppy," he huffed.

The other boy laughed loudly. "I am a puppy, aren't I? Mark hyung says I'm a puppy too!"

"It's probably because you're loud for no reason, clingy, and always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Like seriously," Jisung said. "I've already told you that I don't have anything. No pencils, no notebooks, I barely have clothes or food. I have nothing. Yet you continue to ask me these questions about things that I don't have and I don't know how to answer!" Jisung wasn't for sure what made him say all those things. But he had. Chenle's questions had started to get on his nerves and he just spilled his thoughts out. Now that he had though, he regretted it. Especially as the Chinese boy kept staring at him. He really did look like a kicked puppy now.

"I'm sorry I kept asking you those questions," Chenle apologized. "I just want to get to know you better. I want to be your friend."

Jisung sighed and shook his head. "Well, now you know."

Chenle nodded and bit his lip. Then, he looked at the younger boy. "Jisung, can I ask you one more question?"

"I'm sure you'll do it at some point anyways, so go ahead," Jisung replied.

The Chinese boy nodded again and took a moment to collect his thoughts. "Uh, I noticed your bandaid and lip," he paused and watched for Jisung's reaction. "I was wondering how you got those?"

"I fell," Jisung answered plainly. "I told you I was clumsy."

Chenle continued to stare at Jisung before nodding and turning back to his notebook. "Okay." Chenle didn't believe him but wasn't gonna pry. Instead, he decided to write in his notebook for a little bit. When he was done, he put it away and grabbed his phone. He sent a quick text to Mark before putting it away again.

Jisung watched the older boy play on his phone before he decided to just put his head down and hide his face with his arm. He didn't want to look at Chenle for a while. The boy was too bright and optimistic for his own good. It made his stomach squeeze whenever he smiled and that was an uncomfortable feeling to Jisung. He closed his eyes and relaxed. He just wanted to sleep until he could see Jaemin again.

After a few seconds, Jisung truly thought that he was gonna fall asleep. That was until he felt something hard being smashed into his face. He was glad his arm was there for some cushion but it still hurt nonetheless. When he heard the sound of a chair fall over and someone shout in a high-pitched voice, Jisung's attention was brought back to the classroom. His eyes hadn't been able to focus yet when he heard a loud thud hit the ground.

Chenle had decided to stop pestering Jisung with questions when he laid his head down. For Chenle, that usually meant that people were tired of hearing him talk and wanted to be left alone. But Jisung also looked tired and that's what Chenle hoped was the reason instead. He looked away from the younger boy and smiled. Jisung looked so peaceful.

When Chenle turned his attention back to the said boy, he witnessed a classmate slam a book down on Jisung's face. The act made Chenle's blood boil. In an instant, he was out of his chair.

"Don't touch him!!" Chenle screamed as he shoved the other boy hard. He stumbled over chairs and fell onto the ground. He was so pissed that he didn't feel sorry for the boy on the ground at all. How could someone just do that?!

"Zhong Chenle!" that voice made Chenle sigh. "Principal's office now!"

Of course she came in at the exact moment Chenle pushed the classmate but didn't see what he did right before. He huffed but didn't argue. "Yes ma'am," he answered and began to gather his things.

Jisung looked over at the Chinese boy. Chenle wouldn't even look at him. Jisung had never seen the older boy look so angry and it was all because of him. He couldn't help but sigh. Not only was Chenle angry because of him, but he was also in trouble because of him. What was he supposed to do? He was sure Chenle didn't want to be his friend now. 

Chenle slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door. On his way out, he stopped and handed the teacher his homework. She took it and looked at him.

"I expect more from you, Chenle," she told him. "You're a straight-A student. Act like it."

Chenle nodded and bowed to her before leaving the room and making his way down to the office. He by no means regret what he did. Someone had to stick up for Jisung. Sure, he could've dealt with it better, but his body reacted before he had time to think.

Jisung sat in class, staring at his desk. He was confused as to what just happened and felt guilty. Chenle had stopped talking to him after he snapped at him and after what just happened, he was sure Chenle wouldn't wanna talk to him again. He tried to warn him. People don't like him. Is Chenle going to be added to that long list of people now? Jisung didn't want that. But he certainly wouldn't blame Chenle if he did. He was, in fact, worthless and now Chenle knew that too.

As Chenle sat in the office waiting for someone to arrive, he couldn't help but think of Jisung. He sighed and just hoped that no one would mess with him today. Interrupting his thoughts, Mark entered the office and stared at him.

He shook his head at Chenle and sighed. "Didn't I tell you not to get in trouble today?" Mark said.

"I said 'no promises'," Chenle reminded him.

Mark sighed and pet him. "What did you do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the support!! I really enjoy making these chapters and I'm glad you enjoy them too! Thank you for so much love~!


	7. Pillow Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some casual sleepover talk between a couple of best friends.

Mark was on his phone and sending a quick text to the group chat that Haechan and Renjun were in before class began. When the teacher walked in, he quickly put it away and looked at Lucas.

"Did you do the homework last night?" Mark asked.

"When do I ever do homework?" Lucas responded.

"Dude!" Mark grumbled. "You need to make sure you keep your grade at a C level at least. C'mon man."

"Calm down. Don't worry," Lucas assured. "That's why I have you." He laughed and patted Mark's back.

Mark rolled his eyes. "You're just as bad as Haechan. He's always asking Renjun for help."

"But I don't ask for help. I just assume you know more than me and copy off of you," Lucas argued.

"That's not any better!" Mark pointed out. "Dude. Everyone already thinks you're an idiot."

"Well, they would be correct," Lucas replied, making the other male burst into laughter. Seeing the smaller laugh made Lucas do the same.

When the teacher looked over in their direction, both boys quieted down and tried to stifle their laughter. Since their homeroom teacher didn't ever make them do too much, usually both boys could talk quietly until having to go to their next class. That was still true for them today. Except for today, their conversation was interrupted by the teacher ten minutes after class has started.

"Dude. Mark," Lucas whispered. "Did you hear? Yangyang told me that Jeno likes Renjun."

Mark gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. "Dude, no way. They would be so cute together."

"I know right?" Lucas agreed and chuckled.

"Mark Lee! You're wanted in the principal's office." the teacher announced.

Everyone turned their attention to Mark in expectance that their classmate was in trouble. "Oh, okay," Mark answered in confusion.

"What'd you do?" Lucas asked.

"I didn't do anything!" Mark defended. "I'll see you later though, man." He waved to Lucas before grabbing his things and heading to the office.

Once he arrived at the office, he saw a small blonde-haired boy sitting in a chair. Knowing full well that it was Chenle, he sighed and stood in front of him. "Didn't I tell you not to get in trouble today?" he asked.

Chenle looked up at Mark. "I said 'no promises'," he reminded him.

Mark sighed again and petted him. "Okay. What did you do?"

Chenle explained everything that had happened in his homeroom and Mark nodded. The office had decided to send the younger boy home for the day as a warning. So, Mark decided to sit with Chenle as they waited for Johnny to arrive. Since Johnny had to pick him up on his break from work, it took him a bit to get there. Once Chenle finally left with Johnny, homeroom was already over, which means he'd have to talk to Lucas after school.

* * *

After school, Mark found Haechan and Renjun at their lockers gathering their stuff. He leaned on one to wait for them and smiled. Renjun closed his locker first and stood next to Mark. Haechan did the same a minute later.

"You guys don't have rehearsal today, right?" Mark asked.

"Not today," Renjun answered.

"So, to answer your question from this morning, yes. We can come home with you," Haechan stated.

Mark chuckled and nodded. "I forgot I even asked that."

"How do you forget what _you_ asked?" Renjun questioned and laughed. "Like what?"

Mark laughed as well. "Look. I had an interesting morning, okay?" He smiled and put his arms around both of their shoulders. While pulling them into a side hug, Jaemin, Jeno, and Jisung made their way over to them.

"Mark!" Jaemin called out.

"Hey man," Mark replied and high-fived him. "What are you guys up to?"

"Chilling before I have to go to practice," Jeno said with a chuckle. When he saw Renjun, he smiled at him and nodded. "Hey Renjun."

"Hey Jeno," Renjun smiled back at him. Mark looked at them and smiled.

"I'm just walking around with Jeno until he goes to practice," Jaemin chuckled.

"Ah," Mark nodded and waved at Jisung. "Hey kiddo."

Jisung looked at Mark and waved back. He remembered how he had helped him two days ago when he was looking for Jaemin and very much appreciated it. Jisung also remembered Jaemin and Jeno talking about him yesterday. He's the one who takes Chenle home.

"We're actually about to head out now. So we'll definitely see you tomorrow," Mark said.

Renjun held his hand out to stop Mark from moving and looked at him. "Do you have everything?" he asked.

"Uh, I think so," Mark replied.

"Bag?"

"Yup."

"Homework? Music Project?"

"Check and check."

"Small child? Where's your small child?" Renjun asked and began to look around for him.

"Well, about that," Mark chuckled.

"Mark!" Lucas's loud voice boomed from down the hallway as he made his way over to them. "Dude! What happened this morning? You never made it back to homeroom!"

"Why did you leave homeroom to begin with?" Jaemin asked.

"I'm getting there," Mark started and chuckled. "So, I got called down to the office."

Lucas nodded while the other four boys sighed. "Mark! What did you do this time?" Haechan never missed an opportunity to annoy the older male.

"Oh my gawd! C'mon man," Jaemin joined in.

Jisung smiled at their interactions and giggled quietly. Jaemin also seemed to be having fun with them and that made Jisung happy.

"Guys, I'm tryna talk," Mark tried to get their attention.

When that failed, Lucas took over. "Everyone, guys! Calm down. I wanna know what happened. Why did you get called down?" He looked at Mark curiously.

"Thank you," Mark nodded his appreciation to Lucas and continued. "So, Chenle, the kid I'm hosting, right? Apparently pushed a kid during homeroom and it made him trip over a chair and fall down. Since we host him, they let me know about it."

"Your kid got into a fight?!" Lucas exclaimed in surprise.

"He's not my kid, but yeah. Basically," Mark answered. "So he got sent home with Johnny and I sat with him until then."

"Is he in trouble?" Jeno asked.

"Well, yeah. You can't just get into a fight at school and not get in reprimanded for it," Mark stated.

Jisung panicked. He knew that Chenle had gotten in trouble because of him and had got sent home for it. He didn't say anything during homeroom because he didn't know what was going on. But it was Jisung's fault and he didn't want Chenle getting hurt because of him too. This time, he had to do something. 

"Please don't punish Chenle for this!" Jisung pleaded with wide eyes. "He did it because of me! It's my fault he got in trouble!"

The sudden outburst from the youngest one made everyone look at him in surprise. Most of them had barely heard the kid talk, let alone ask for something. At hearing his words, Mark smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Jisung's slight flinch didn't go unnoticed by the older though.

"Don't worry, Jisung. Chenle told me what happened and we are not upset with him. He was standing up for you. Johnny and I strongly believe that you should always stick up for your friends, even if it might get you in trouble. So he won't get in trouble with us," Mark assured him with a smile.

Jisung nodded quickly and sighed in relief. He was glad to know that Chenle would be okay. The kid was annoying sometimes, but he didn't deserve to get hurt. He let himself relax into Jaemin's side.

Jaemin looked at the younger boy and smiled. It seemed like Jisung had made a friend after all. He was proud of him and happy that he had someone else to look after him.

"Okay!" Mark sang. "The three of us are gonna go now. Johnny's here. Bye-bye! We'll see you guys tomorrow." He waved to everyone then lead his two best friends out to the car. Mark hopped in the front seat and tossed his bag on the floorboard. As a greeting, Johnny petted Mark's hair and chuckled. Then, he waved to the other two.

"Got your girlfriends with you?" Johnny teased him in English.

"You know it," Mark replied the same. 

"Hey, no," Haechan spoke from the backseat in the same language. "No English speak, please. Here is Korea, man. Don't forgot, okay?"

Haechan's adorable English made both native's laugh. Mark always enjoyed when the other two attempted to talk to him in his native tongue. Although, no matter what language he spoke, it seemed Haechan was always finding new ways to mock him. Mark didn't mind though. It was cute.

"Okay, sorry," Mark chuckled in reply. He then looked at Johnny and continued speaking. "So, they're gonna stay the night tonight, if that's alright, Hyung."

"Well, I mean, they're already in the car," Johnny laughed. "And when have I ever cared if they spent the night?"

Mark nodded and chuckled as Johnny pulled into their driveway. Everyone hopped out and headed inside. Once there, Mark threw down his bag and stretched towards the ceiling. When his back popped, he let out a shout of pleasure.

"Hyung!" a familiar high-pitched voice called from the kitchen.

"Ah, Chenle. Making dinner?" Mark asked.

"Yes!" the younger boy giggled and bounded into the living room. He screeched when he saw the other two. "Friends!"

"Chenle, that's rude. They're older than you," Mark scolded.

Renjun waved his hand in dismissal. "It's okay. We don't use honorifics in China. So I understand."

Haechan nodded to show his understanding as well. Johnny walked over to Chenle and pulled him into a hug. Chenle squeaked and giggled, returning Johnny's hug with a tight squeeze. Afterward, they both went back into the kitchen to finish cooking.

"Hey, Mark. How do you know Jaemin?" Renjun asked.

"Oh, I've known him since I was," Mark paused to think. "Thirteen, I think? Johnny is really good friends with his older brother."

"Jaemin has a brother? Since when?" Haechan asked.

"Yeah. Since I've known him," Mark replied.

"Jaehyun isn't his brother!" Johnny called from the kitchen.

"What?!" Mark exclaimed. "My whole life is a lie!"

The other boys could hear Johnny laughing from the kitchen. "Don't be so dramatic, Mark!" he said.

"But they literally live together!" Mark exclaimed.

"Not anymore. Jaemin lives alone because Jaehyun is studying abroad in America for college," Johnny told him.

Mark was shook. He didn't know that. "My whole life is a lie," he said quieter.

"I heard that!" Johnny said.

"How?!" he was so confused. Mark shook his head and picked his bag back up. "Okay, well, we'll be in my room!" he called out and lead the boys upstairs to his room. Once there, he threw his bag down and let himself fall onto the bed.

The other two followed in suit. Both set their bags down next to Mark's and then laid down on either side of him. Mark smiled and held them both close.

"You guys are amazing. You know that?" Mark said.

"Yeah, I know," Haechan remarked, making the older laugh. "You should feel blessed."

Haechan's comment earned him a hit on the arm from Renjun. "Are you sure we shouldn't feel cursed instead? You're a hassle."

Mark ended up laughing louder from Renjun's reply and clapped like a seal. They never failed to make him laugh. Then again, a lot of things could make him laugh. He was easy to amuse.

After an hour passed, they decided to head downstairs and check on dinner. Chenle was setting the table and was just about to shout for them when they entered the kitchen. Chenle smiled at them and left with Johnny. Since the two of them had already eaten earlier, they decided to run some errands. That left the other three to eat in peace. Afterward, Renjun picked up and Haechan did the dishes. Neither of them had seen Chenle leave and were both confused when they didn't see or hear him.

"Where's Chenle?" Renjun asked.

Mark hummed in response before looking at him. "Oh, he kept saying something about wanting to go buy stuff. So Johnny took him to the supermarket." He chuckled as he thought of something and smiled. "Which means, we're alone. Ladies~"

Haechan scoffed while Renjun let out a sarcastic laugh. "First of all, excuse you. I am not just a lady. I am a bad bitch," Haechan retorted. "I'm not too sure about Renjun though."

Renjun laughed and rested his head on the table in defeat. Mark patted his back and laughed.

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna shower. You two can fight over who gets dibs next," Mark stated. "Peace." He walked away and headed to his room to shower. Grabbing pajama pants, he walked into the bathroom and began his shower.

Haechan bit his lip and tried to keep his mind from going into uncharted territory. He tried not to think of his best friend showering. The idea of seeing Mark post-shower was normal, but arousing, and not something he wanted to think about right then. Shaking his thoughts away, he turned his attention to the other male.

"Hey twink," Haechan called out to Renjun. "Wanna shower next?"

Renjun looked at Haechan. "Excuse you, rude. I know what that means," he laughed. "And since when are you nice?"

"Okay, fine. I'll shower next," Haechan said.

"No, I'll go next," Renjun whined.

"Nope, too late," Haechan laughed.

Renjun pouted and both boys headed upstairs to wait for Mark. Laying down on the bed, they relaxed and played on their phones. When Haechan heard the water finally turn off, he threw his phone down and sat up.

"Finally!" Haechan exclaimed as he stood up. Before he got out of the bathroom, Haechan claimed one of Mark's sweaters and a pair of shorts to change into. "C'mon Mark!" he teased and chuckled.

"Okay! I'm coming!" Mark called back before he opened the door and walked out.

A freshly showered Mark was Haechan's weakness. Not only was this post-shower Mark, this was also shirtless Mark, and Haechan was very much weak right now. Seeing Mark ruffle his own wet hair and water roll down his chest, turned Haechan on so much. To hide that fact, he let his arms hang while holding the clothes to cover his lap. Before he could stare any longer, he slipped past Mark and into the bathroom.

"Ah, so Haechan claimed the shower next," Mark chuckled.

Renjun looked up from his phone and stared at the older male. "Yeah." He was wet and shirtless and it looked hot. Despite that fact, it didn't affect Renjun a much as he thought it would. His cheeks colored in embarrassment as he couldn't look at Mark like that. So, he sat up, grabbed one of Mark's shirts, and threw it at him. "Put a shirt on!"

"Ah!" Mark squeaked in surprise and caught the shirt. "Okay okay." He chuckled and slid his shirt on. "Couldn't handle all this sexy?"

"You wish," Renjun remarked.

"Ouch," Mark put his hand to his chest and sat on the bed. "That hurt you know. Right here. Right in my left boob."

Renjun laughed and threw a pillow at him. "Good. I hope it did." He smiled. "Haechan and I are stealing your clothes for the night."

"I figured you would," Mark replied. "You guys usually do."

Mark's comment made Renjun giggle and lean on him. Both males smiled and enjoyed the moment. They laid down and Mark began to play with Renjun's hair. Both relaxed until Haechan finished his shower. Being with the older male made Renjun very comfortable. He enjoyed Mark's presence a lot.

As Haechan opened the door, Renjun got up and made his way to the bathroom for his turn. Mark sat up and watched as Haechan jerked his head to the side to get his hair out of his eyes. He was wearing one of Mark's big sweaters and it was even bigger on Haechan. It looked adorable on him but Mark wasn't for sure if the younger was wearing shorts under it or not.

"Are you wearing anything under that?" Mark asked.

"Nope," Haechan lied and lifted the sweater up to make Mark panic. He couldn't help but laugh after the older relaxed upon seeing the shorts.

Mark sighed in relief when Haechan revealed his shorts and chuckled. Haechan was such a brat but it was adorable. For some reason, seeing the younger male wear Mark's clothes was very attractive to him. He loved seeing how the sweater hung off Haechan's small shoulders. He looked like he was practically swimming in it from how big it was. He also loved knowing that Haechan was wearing his shorts even though they were hiding under the sweater. The outfit really showed off the younger's legs. And Haechan was all leg. Mark loved it.

Haechan sat down on the bed and hugged a pillow before grabbing his phone. "So what's the plan for tonight?" he asked.

"I have no idea, man," Mark replied. "Probably just grab some snacks and talk."

"I am a snack," Haechan stated.

"No," Mark sighed and chuckled. He was such a brat. "Oh!" He remembered something. "So, this morning, Lucas told me something." He grinned and patted Haechan's leg. "Apparently, Jeno has a huge crush on Renjun. And I think they'd be so cute together."

"Jeno likes Renjun?" Haechan was shocked. "Doesn't that, like, defy the laws of popularity?"

Mark scrunch his face up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Jeno is popular. He's a jock. He's cool. Captain of the soccer team," Haechan pointed out. "And Renjun is not. He's a nerd. Usually, that's a big no!"

Mark rolled his eyes. "This isn't some TV show, Haechan. Sides, Jeno's a good kid. He'd take care of Renjun."

"Yeah, but, I think Renjun likes someone else," the other said.

When they heard the water turn off, they stopped talking immediately. "Damn, Renjun takes quick showers," Mark laughed.

"No kidding," Haechan agreed. "Let's go get snacks!" He hopped up excitedly as Renjun exited the bathroom.

Mark chuckled and waved Renjun to follow them downstairs. He went to the cabinets and threw a pack of cookies at Haechan. To his surprise, Haechan actually caught them. As the other boy celebrated, Mark threw a bag of chips at Renjun and laughed when he failed to catch them.

As Renjun complained to Haechan, Mark grabbed sodas and smiled at his friends. "You guys are so cute."

"I am not cute! I'm fierce and manly!" Renjun corrected.

That made the other two laugh. "You are not manly!" Mark argued.

"Am too!"

"Nope. In fact, Haechan could top you, that's how unmanly you are," Mark rebutted.

"Ew, but true," Haechan replied.

Renjun laughed. "Well, then what about you? You're not that manly either."

"I'm the manliest out of us three," Mark said.

"No way," Haechan argued.

"Look, I would top both of you in a heartbeat. You're both bottoms. Which makes me the manliest," the older remarked.

"First of all, wording, Mark," Haechan told him. 

Renjun laughed and nodded. "Also, no you couldn't."

"No, I totally could," Mark stated.

"Prove it!" Haechan challenged.

"Well alright," Mark replied and set down the sodas that he was holding. He chuckled and thought for a moment before calmly walking over to Haechan. He took his arm, pull him close, then slammed him against the wall. While successfully pinning Haechan's hands above his head, he stared him down and bit his own bottom lip. Then, Mark leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "How about now?"

Haechan's heart never beat so hard in his life. The way Mark could just switch like that sent shivers down Haechan's spine. It was intimidating and sexy as hell. "Okay. You win," he gave in. When Mark let him go, he took a deep breath to calm himself down and then hit his arm. "You can't just do that to me! I'm way too gay for this."

The other two boys laughed and began to make their way back upstairs. They were stopped when they heard the door open and close quickly and saw Chenle run across the house. He threw his things into his room then ran over to Mark. The older male looked at him in confusion as to why he was alone.

"Hyung! Johnny hyung said that he was going to Ten's tonight and dropped me back off," Chenle told while hugging on him.

"Ah, that makes sense," Mark nodded. "We're heading to my room if you wanna come."

"Yes!" the younger boy shouted excitedly.

Mark chuckled and nodded. "Alright. Grab yourself some banana milk real quick and follow us up."

After Chenle ran and did that, all four boys made their way upstairs and settled themselves onto the bed. Haechan and Renjun both grabbed pillows to hug while Chenle nestled himself in Mark's lap. He wrapped his arms around the oldest and rested his head on Mark's chest.

"Okay, then, who would top Mark?" Renjun asked.

"I don't think that many people at our school could top me," Mark stated.

"Let's not get cocky now," Haechan said.

"It's not being cocky if it's true," Mark replied.

Haechan rolled his eyes. "Mark, you can literally do the splits. That's bottom material."

"I took gymnastics as a kid though," Mark whined while Chenle laughed loudly.

"Lucas could top you," Haechan stated.

"Yeah, but Lucas could top anyone. And Lucas wants to top Jungwoo," the oldest replied.

"Who's Jungwoo?" Chenle asked.

"He's a kid who graduated last year. Lucas has a huge crush on him," Mark answered.

"Ah," Chenle nodded in understanding and looked at him.

"Oh, by the way," Mark started. "Jisung mentioned you today."

Chenle perked up at the mention of Jisung. "He did? What'd he say?"

"He just wanted to make sure you didn't get in trouble for standing up for him. He felt bad that you got sent to the office because of him," the other replied.

The younger Chinese boy smiled at that and nodded. "Jisung is just, such a good kid. He's so nice and I really like being around him. I swear his smile could light up the world and hearing him laugh is the best thing about talking to him. Even if it's just a little chuckle, I love hearing it. It makes butterflies fill my stomach and I just can't help but smile," he told them.

The older three boys looked at him and smiled. Mark nodded knowingly and pet him. "That's good then," Mark said.

Renjun looked at everyone. "So, not to ruin the moment, but Jeno texted me," he stated with a chuckle.

"Oh, what'd he say?" Mark asked.

"He wants to know if I'll hang out with him and Jaemin this weekend," Renjun answered.

Mark gasped and patted Renjun's leg. "Dude, do it! It could be like a date! With both of them, if you wanted."

Renjun's cheeks colored at the thought of going on a date with two cute guys. "That sounds weird though. Plus, he probably doesn't even like me like that."

"Just reply with 'It's a date' and make sure to put an exclamation point at the end, then see what he says," Haechan suggested.

"Oh my goodness! Okay," Renjun agreed. "I sent it."

Haechan looked at Mark and snapped. "Jeno?"

Mark shook his head. "No way. I would totally top Jeno. Have you seen how adorable he is? Those muscles are fake."

"No," Haechan couldn't help but laugh at the older's comment. "I don't think 'fake' is the word you're looking for."

"No?" Mark questioned. "Oh well, you know what I mean." He chuckled.

Haechan and Mark's attention was brought back to Renjun when said Chinese boy squealed. "Ah! He replied!"

"What'd he say?" Mark asked excitedly.

"He said 'sounds like a plan' with an exclamation point!" Renjun squealed again and giggled shyly. "Oh my god."

"Yes!" Mark celebrated for him and laughed.

Chenle watched them play around and bicker happily. He loved this kind of stuff. It was really nice to see Mark mess around with his friends like this. He was usually mature around Chenle and making sure he was taken care of. This change was nice to see.

"Can I also just say how bottom Haechan actually is?" Mark said. "Like, aside from Renjun, I don't think you could really top anyone. 'Cause like, even Renjun would probably be a pretty powerful power bottom. But not you."

"Mark, I will fight you," Haechan threatened.

"Do it. I'll win," the older challenged.

Renjun stopped Haechan before he could move. "No. We're not doing this. Moving on."

Haechan huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine," he pouted and looked at Chenle. "Hey, what about Chenle?"

"Haechan!" Mark scolded. "He's a child!"

"Oh come on! It's just a question!" Haechan whined. "Do you think he's bottom or top?"

Chenle laughed and clapped. "It's okay. To be honest, I don't really care what kind of person I get. I'd just want someone who could just hold me. And I'd want us to take care of each other. Like, when he's at a low point, I'd wanna take care of him. And then I'd want him to do the same for me when I'm at a low point," Chenle paused for a moment and looked at everyone. "I'd also want him to be understanding. 'Cause I know that I'm loud and obnoxious sometimes and I hope that he'd be understanding of that. Hopefully he'd love me no matter what," he concluded with a nod and a shy giggle.

Mark smiled and petted the younger. He had only just met him when he moved here from China, but Mark already loved this kid as if he was his little brother. Chenle was so precious and Mark just wanted to protect him. He pulled the younger boy closer and hugged him.

Chenle returned Mark's hug with a squeeze and giggled. He loved hugs and Mark's were always so nice.

"Well, we should all probably head to bed. We do still have school tomorrow," Mark stated.

The other two boys nodded and laid down while Chenle looked up at Mark. "Can I stay with you tonight, Hyung?" he asked.

Mark nodded. "Yes you can."

At that, Chenle hopped up excitedly and turned off the lights. He giggled and hurried back to the bed, burying himself under the covers. The younger snuggled into Mark and closed his eyes.

Soon, all four boys drifted to sleep for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late upload. This chapter took the whole day to write. But thank you to everyone supporting me and leaving comments! Every time I see your comments, I squeal from happiness~ I so happy that you guys are enjoying the story!


	8. Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle meant what he said.

The next day went by like normal. Chenle arrived to class, gave Jisung the homework to do, and also apologized for the day before. Jisung also apologized and their day went on like that. But today would be different. Because today. Today was Friday. And Chenle was excited. He waved to Mark and headed to class. Once there, he walked over to Jisung. Instead of sitting down like usual, he came around to stand to the left of the younger.

"Jisung, uh, I want to give you something," Chenle said.

Jisung looked up at the older boy and saw that he was holding a black bag. "Oh. Okay."

Realizing that he hadn't hidden the bag, he chuckled, "Sorry, I forgot to hide it. Here." Chenle sat it down on Jisung's desk and smiled. He always became nervous when giving people gifts. "I bought you a backpack since you don't have one. Please take it. I want you to have it."

Looking at the bag, Jisung didn't really know what to do. He felt bad taking it from him, but he liked it and didn't want to upset the other. So, he just looked at Chenle and nodded. "Okay. Thank you," he said.

Chenle smiled and sat down. "It's also black because you said that's your favorite color. But the seams and zippers are mint green because I thought only black would be too plain," he explained. "But, uh, open it. There's stuff inside it."

Jisung was surprised to hear that there was more. He unzipped the bag and pulled it open. The first thing he saw was a piece of nicely folded black clothing. Confused, he carefully took it out and stared at it.

"Unfold it," Chenle guided quietly.

The younger did as he was told and let it unravel in his lap. It was a large hoodie. Jisung rubbed the front of it and felt the fabric on the inside of the sleeve. It was warm and soft.

"Since I didn't know your size, I got the biggest size I could find. I got it since it's going to get cold outside. And it's your favorite color," Chenle stated with a smile.

Jisung nodded and held the jacket close. He was just at a loss of words at the other boy's kindness. Hugging the hoodie, he felt tears well up in his eyes but told himself he wouldn't cry. He didn't want to.

"Keep going," the Chinese boy encouraged. "There's more."

"There's more?" To his surprise, when Jisung looked in the bag again, there was more. His mouth hung open as he pulled out a blue folder. Inside was last night's homework, ready for Jisung to do. He set it down and pulled out two notebooks. One was black and the other was blue. Both were 80-page count and college-ruled.

"Blue is my favorite color. So I figured that would be a good color combination," Chenle said with a smile.

Jisung nodded and hugged the notebooks. He loved it already but saw that there was more in the bag. Setting the notebooks down, he pulled out a black binder filled with loose-leaf paper. Now, not only did he have notebooks to write in, but also regular paper to use too. Peaking in the bag, he spotted one more item. Pulling it out, he saw that it was a black pencil pouch with a puppy face all over it. When he opened it, he noticed that it was filled with mechanical pencils, regular pencils, three pens, and correction tape.

"With all that paper, you gotta be able to write!" Chenle joked with a giggle.

The other boy's giggle made Jisung smile. He was just so happy. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him before. He couldn't believe he had all this stuff now.

"Oh, I have two more things for you," Chenle stated and grabbed his own bag. He pulled out a lunchbox and handed it to Jisung. Jisung looked at it as the other boy kept digging in his bag before pulling out a small box and handing that to him as well.

Jisung stared at the two new items he was just given then turned to look at Chenle.

"I remember you saying that you barely had any food to eat. So, I wanted to help and this was the only way I could think to do that," Chenle confessed. "If you give it back to me at the end of every school day, I'll make sure to prepare food for you for the next day."

The younger boy opened his new lunchbox and saw that it was filled with food. It contained a sandwich, a bag of chips, banana milk, a roll of kimbap, and a bag of grapes. Jisung felt like he could cry. There was so much gratitude that he felt towards the other boy at this moment.

"Open the box, now," Chenle suggested.

Jisung's attention turned to the small box on his desk. He wondered what it would be and decided not to wait too long to find out. Sliding off the top part of the box, he revealed a phone. His very own, very first smartphone. He just shook his head in denial. This was too unreal. Jisung couldn't believe this was happening.

"I didn't get you an iPhone since they break easily. And I couldn't find any Gorilla Glass so I bought a tempered glass screen protector instead. I also made sure to give it an Otter Box for even more protection," the Chinese boy informed him. "I hope that's indestructible enough."

Jisung didn't know how to feel anymore. He was so grateful to have all of these things now but was confused as to why Chenle did this for him. What was this boy's motive? He just didn't understand why Chenle gave him all of these things.

"Uh, so," Chenle paused and rubbed the back of his neck. Jisung had been quiet the whole time and Chenle was nervous. "I just want you to know, that like, I did this 'cause I consider you a friend. It's not pity! I promise!" he wanted to make that clear and sighed. "I just, uh, want you to be able to rely on me. I want you to feel like you can and to not be afraid to come to me when you need to. You make me really happy Jisung and I wanna do the same for you." Chenle rubbed his face in embarrassment. "I care about you, Park Jisung. And I want you to know that."

The younger boy stared at Chenle. He didn't know what to say to the other boy's sudden shpeal about his feelings. He didn't know what to do either. His eyes searched the ground for an answer as the tears that filled his eyes from earlier began to spill out. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he stared at the other boy. Jisung just didn't know how to express his gratitude and hid his face in his hands.

Seeing the other boy begin to cry made Chenle panic. Did he do something wrong? What was he supposed to do? He stood up quickly and knelt down next to Jisung. After a couple of seconds, he settled on rubbing the crying boy's back. 

"Um, I'm sorry! Please don't be sad. Did I do something wrong? Whatever it is, let me know and I'll fix it," Chenle said.

Jisung shook his head and looked at the older boy. "No. Just, thank you. I don't know how to thank you. This the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me before. I'm so sorry that I'm crying," Jisung told him.

Chenle smiled up at him. "You don't have to apologize for crying. It's a natural thing to do and not something to be ashamed of. I'm just happy that you like my present," he said.

"I love it," Jisung stated.

Those words made Chenle so happy. "After class, if you want, we can go to your locker and grab your books. Now that you have a bag, you can carry them around!" he giggled. "And then after school, we can get your phone set up. Jaemin and Mark hyung can help us. And then I can give you my number and we can text!"

Jisung nodded and smiled. "Okay, yeah. Yes to all of that." He looked at Chenle. "You're a really good friend."

Chenle's stomach did flips at the younger's words. He was so happy. Jisung considered him a friend! He couldn't keep the big smile from appearing on his face and giggled. This was the best thing to happen to him all week. Aside from meeting Jisung, that is. He got back up and sat back down at his desk.

"Do your homework real quick," Chenle suggested with a smile.

Jisung nodded quickly and began to put everything away in his new bag. When it was just his homework, pencil pouch, and phone left, he zipped the bag back up and hung it off his chair. He was so happy and it was all thanks to Chenle. Unzipping his pencil pouch, he grabbed one of the mechanical pencils and began doing his homework. A smile was plastered across his face the whole time. 

He finished the homework just as the teacher walked in and smiled at Chenle. Jisung felt a sense of pride in having his own things. It made him feel as though he could actually participate and learn during class. Today, he was ready to learn. He was ready to take notes in his new notebook. His new notebook that he got from Chenle. His friend. Jisung felt like things were looking up for him now.

After class finished, both boys gathered their things together. Since Jisung wasn't used to having things to gather up, he was a bit slower. So, Chenle waited for him patiently and smiled. Once he got everything in his bag, Jisung slung the bag over his shoulder like he had seen Chenle do multiple times before. 

"Let's go get your books for your other classes now," Chenle reminded him.

Jisung nodded. "Okay," he said and lead the other boy to his locker.

Once there, Chenle made sure to make a mental note of what number his locker was. After Jisung opened it, he grabbed all of his books before realizing that he hadn't opened his bag yet or even taken his bag off his shoulder yet. Chenle giggled and offered to hold his books while he did that.

Jisung handed his books to Chenle then opened his bag up quickly. He took out the hoodie and hung it up to make more room in his bag, then began to put each book inside it. When he finished, he zipped it back up and slid it back onto his shoulder. He was very happy and his smile showed that.

Chenle's stomach began to fill with butterflies from seeing Jisung's smile. It lit up his whole world to see the younger boy so happy. That was when he swore to himself that he would do anything to make Jisung happy. He deserved it. And his smile was all the reward that Chenle needed.

Jisung looked at the ground while smiling and nodded. "Thank you. Again," he said. "This is amazing."

"You deserve it," Chenle told him.

The younger shook his head in denial. "No I don't. I don't deserve anything. You barely even know me yet you've already done so much for me," he spoke softly.

"It's because you're my friend," Chenle replied. "I don't like it when my friends are unhappy. So I want to make you happy. Because you also deserve happiness."

Jisung didn't know what to say. This boy was so nice. It was a nice change to what people were normally like to him, but he didn't know how to react. So he just nodded in response. "Okay."

Chenle smiled. "I'll see you after school! Have a good day, Jisung!" he giggled and waved happily before bounding off to his next class.

The other boy watched as Chenle headed off. He felt a strange twinge in his gut and wasn't for sure why. Chenle made him happy. Although it was against his better judgment, Jisung felt that he could trust him. He decided that maybe he would tear his wall down slightly and let Chenle in. He just hoped it wouldn't backfire in the end.

* * *

After school, Chenle excitedly made his way towards Jisung's locker. Since they forgot to set up a meeting place, he felt that was the best place to find him. Upon arriving, he squealed in excitement when laying eyes on the younger boy.

"Jisung!" he called out.

The younger jumped when he heard his name being called and looked around to find where the familiar voice was coming from. When he spotted Chenle making his way down the hallway, he waved. He put his books away and slung his bag over his shoulder as Chenle arrived.

"Ready?" Chenle asked.

"Yeah," Jisung nodded.

Chenle looked around. "So, we need to find Mark hyung 'cause his brother is my ride everywhere. Do you need to find Jaemin?" he asked.

Jisung nodded again. "Yeah."

"Let's go find them!" Chenle sang and held out his hand to the younger.

Jisung flinched slightly and looked at it.

Chenle noticed but didn't mention it. "Hold my hand so we can stay together while running," he suggested with a smile.

Trusting the other boy, Jisung took Chenle's hand. His hand was so small compared to Jisung's.

Chenle's heart skipped a beat when Jisung took his hand in his own. This boy was doing things to Chenle and he wasn't for sure how to react. Ignoring his racing heart, Chenle began running down the hall with Jisung next to him. He kept up well. Chenle blamed it on Jisung's incredibly long legs.

When they found their respected hyungs, they were together, along with the rest of their friends, talking animatedly. Mark and Jaemin looked like they were arguing about something while the others watched amused. Mark clapped his hands together dramatically and started pointing at Jaemin as everyone else laughed. 

Chenle made his way over to them with Jisung right behind him. "Hyung!" he called out.

Mark stopped what he was doing and looked over to the younger boys. He noticed Chenle's hand in Jisung's as well as Jisung wearing the backpack he saw Chenle carrying as they came to school that day. He smiled. "Hey Chenle. Hi Jisung."

Jaemin turned around at the mention of Jisung and was surprised to see him holding Chenle's hand. He didn't say anything about it and also noticed that Jisung was wearing a new backpack and holding a phone. "Hey boys," Jaemin said.

Jisung took his hand back from Chenle and bowed to everyone. He felt embarrassed to know that Jaemin saw him holding the other boy's hand.

"So, Mark hyung. I was wondering if we could go activate Jisung's new phone? I wanna be able to give him my number afterwards! And then maybe we could all text each other~" Chenle said. "Please?"

Mark chuckled. "I mean, I don't see why not. I don't think Johnny would mind taking us to the store," he replied and looked at Jaemin with a shrug. "Wanna come with?"

Jaemin nodded. "Uh, yeah. Let's go I guess."

Mark waved to everyone and smiled. "Good luck at practice. And break a leg at rehearsal or whatever you say," he chuckled and headed out with the other three. "So that's why you had that bag today, huh, Chenle?" Mark asked knowingly.

Chenle looked at Mark and nodded. "Yeah. I gave it all to Jisung," he answered with a giggle.

"Well, that was nice of you," Jaemin said and looked at Jisung.

Jisung looked back at him and smiled. He was happy for once. Today had been a good day. And now, he was even going to have a phone to use. He didn't know how to thank Chenle enough.

They all made their way outside and followed Mark to the car. He hopped in the front seat with Johnny and ushered everyone else into the backseat.

Chenle hopped in the back on the driver's side. Jaemin let Jisung sit in the middle and climbed in after him. Johnny saw Jaemin and smiled.

"Hey kiddo. It's been a while!" Johnny greeted him.

Jaemin chuckled and nodded. "It has. I'm sorry I don't come over anymore."

"It's okay, man. As long as you're happy, that's all I care about," Johnny replied with a smile. "So who's this?"

"Park Jisung!" Chenle exclaimed, making said boy jump. "He's my friend!"

Johnny smiled as Chenle giggled. "Alright. Nice to meet you Jisung. My name is Johnny. I'm Mark's brother."

Jisung bowed awkwardly. "Nice to meet you, Johnny."

"Oh. Can we go to the phone store?" Mark asked. "Chenle bought Jisung a phone and wants to get it activated."

"Yeah, sure," the older male answered. "So all those things you bought were for Jisung, Chenle?"

Chenle nodded, "Yeah!" he giggled and looks at Jisung. "Oh! Remember to give me your lunchbox so that I can make you food for Monday."

Jisung nodded. "Okay," he said. He grabbed his lunchbox and handed it to Chenle. The older boy smiled and put it in his own bag.

Once they arrived at the phone store, Chenle and Johnny went to the counter. Johnny talked to the man behind the counter as Chenle turned to Jisung and asked for his phone. He handed it to the older boy so it could get activated and leaned on Jaemin.

"What kind of plan are you wanting?" the associate asked.

"Uh, unlimited everything?" Chenle answered.

The associate nodded and left to get everything set up. Jaemin was a bit shocked to know that Jisung was getting an unlimited plan. He didn't even have one. Jaemin was only able to get the unlimited texting plan since it was the cheapest and he wasn't able to get a job yet. How did this kid hand over his card like this was nothing? As shocking as it was, he was just happy that Jisung had a phone finally. He was never able to do it for him before.

Chenle turned to Jisung and handed him his phone back. "There you go! It's activated and ready to use!" he told him happily. "And you won't have to worry about not being able to use it because it'll automatically recharge every month."

"Thank you," Jisung said with a nod. He looked at his phone and smiled. Then, he smiled at Chenle. This boy was amazing.

Johnny ushered everyone back out to the car. "Let's go kids."

Everyone hopped in the car and Chenle looked at Jisung. "Here, lemme give you my number!" he said.

"Okay," Jisung handed his phone back to the Chinese boy and watched as he entered his name and number into his phone before handing it back.

Jaemin smiled. "I'll give you mine as well," he said and entered in his own information as well.

"Go ahead and give him mine too," Mark suggested.

"Okay," Jaemin agreed and did so. "There you go. Now you have all three of our numbers." He smiled at the youngest.

Jisung took his phone back and smiled. "Thank you," he said once again.

Chenle thought of something and gasped. "Jisung! Do you wanna spend the night?" he asked excitedly. "I'll make us all dinner! And then we can play games and talk all night! It'll be so much fun!"

"Uh, I mean, I don't know," Jisung stuttered and looked at Jaemin as if asking if it was okay. When the older male nodded, Jisung turned back to Chenle. "I guess so."

Chenle squealed happily and giggled. "Yay!"

"Why don't we just have a big sleepover?" Mark suggested. "Jaemin, you could stay. And then you could invite Jeno over after practice. I'll invite Haechan and Renjun over too, It'd be a lot of fun."

Jaemin nodded. "Okay. Let's do that then."


	9. Author's Note

Hey guys! Sorry chapter 9 is taking so long! I just arrived back home in America not too long ago. I was studying in Korea and had a lot more free time. Once I get my life back on track here, expect to see more frequent uploads! 

I'm very happy that you all have been enjoying and supporting my story so far. So in the meantime, I'll give you guys a sneak peek into chapter 9 and maybe a small peek into a later chapter. 

Please enjoy~

Chapter 9: Sleepover!

Jaemin had asked Johnny to stop by his apartment so that he could grab some pajamas for him and Jisung. Afterward, they headed to Mark's. Once there, they all hopped out of the car and headed inside.

Chenle tossed his bag onto the couch turned to everyone. "Am I cooking for seven? Eight people?" He asked.

"Yeah," Mark replied. "Eight since it'll be seven of us plus Johnny hyung."

"Just order delivery for the night," Johnny suggested. 

Chenle gasped and nodded. "Good idea! I'll order when everyone gets here!"

Mark chuckled. "I'm gonna go shower and get out of my uniform," he stated. "Jaemin, you wanna go after me?"

Jaemin looked at him and nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright. I'll be quick," Mark gave him and fist bump and headed to his room. Chenle turned his attention to Jisung and smiled.

"Do you wanna shower and get ready for bed?" Chenle asked.

"Now?" Jisung questioned. "It's a little early."

Chenle stopped and thought for a moment. He didn't really think about that. "True. Mark hyung and I usually shower right after we get home," he giggled. "We don't like staying in our uniforms." 

"Well, if you want to, you can shower," Jisung said.

Chenle nodded. "Okay! I take really long showers though. Maybe I'll wait for Mark hyung and Jaemin hyung to get done first. That way you're not bored. Oh! Let's play on your new phone!"

Jaemin chuckled as the two youngest interacted. He loved that Jisung was finally opening up to someone else. It made him happy to see.

Chenle lead Jisung to the couch and sat down next to him. He got his own phone out and started showing the younger his apps. "There's this game that I play that's really fun. I think you'll like it."

The older boy showed Jisung several games to play and he downloaded them. After they were finished, Jisung picked one and began to play it. Chenle leaned on the younger boys shoulder and watched him play. They stayed like that for a long while until Chenle had realized that Mark was already out of the shower and Jaemin was heading up for his own.

Mark walked behind the couch and pet Chenle with a smile. "Jaemin said he already texted Jeno, so I guess I'll let Renjun and Haechan know that they can come over too," he thought out loud.

Both younger boys looked up at Mark and then each other and laughed. "He does that," Chenle giggled. "Not too certain as to why, but he likes to talk to himself."

Depression:

Middle School had been hard for him and he was usually very good at hiding his pain. But the lone scar across his wrist proves that his illness had been just a bit stronger and had gotten the best of him. He ran a finger over the protruding skin and sighed. It was his one cry for help at the time and no one seemed to care.


	10. Sleepover!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a big gay sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry the chapter took so long! I havent had as much free time here as I did in Korea! expect updates but it might take longer than usual. I'm working on an original piece that I hope can be published someday. If you could give that one some love too, it'd be greatly appreciated.
> 
> I'm switching back and forth between both works. I'll work on a chapter for this story and then once it's published, I'm working on the other piece. So, I've sorry if it takes a long while to update! 
> 
> But! I do not plan on abandoning either works! So don't lose hope! I will update eventually!
> 
> Okay, sorry for rambling. Enjoy the chapter :)

Jaemin had asked Johnny to stop by his apartment so that he could grab some pajamas for him and Jisung. He hopped back in the car and they headed to Mark's. Once there, they all hopped out of the car and headed inside.

Chenle made it inside first, tossed his bag onto the couch and turned to everyone. "Am I cooking for seven? Eight people?" He asked.

"Yeah," Mark replied. "Eight since it'll be seven of us plus Johnny hyung."

Johnny patted Chenle’s head and chuckled. “Just order delivery for the night," he suggested. 

Chenle gasped and nodded. "Good idea! I'll order when everyone gets here!"

Mark chuckled. "I'm gonna go shower and get out of my uniform," he stated. "Jaemin, you wanna go after me?"

Jaemin looked at him and nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright. I'll be quick," Mark gave him and fist bump and headed to his room. Chenle turned his attention to Jisung and smiled.

"Do you wanna shower and get ready for bed?" Chenle asked.

"Now?" Jisung questioned. "It's a little early."

Chenle stopped and thought for a moment. He didn't really think about that. "True. Mark hyung and I usually shower right after we get home," he giggled. "We don't like staying in our uniforms." 

"Well, if you want to, you can shower," Jisung said.

Chenle nodded. "Okay! I take really long showers though. Maybe I'll wait for Mark hyung and Jaemin hyung to get done first. That way you're not bored. Oh! Let's play on your new phone!"

Jaemin chuckled as the two youngest interacted. He loved that Jisung was finally opening up to someone else. It made him happy to see.

Chenle lead Jisung to the couch and sat down next to him. He got his own phone out and started showing the younger his apps. "There's this game that I play that's really fun. I think you'll like it."

The older boy showed Jisung several games to play and he downloaded them all. After they were finished, Jisung picked one and began to play it. Chenle leaned on the younger boy's shoulder and watched him play. They stayed like that for a long while until Chenle had realized that Mark was already out of the shower and Jaemin was heading up for his own.

Mark walked behind the couch and pet Chenle with a smile. "Jaemin said he already texted Jeno, so I guess I'll let Renjun and Haechan know that they can come over too," he thought out loud.

Both younger boys looked up at Mark and then at each other and laughed. "He does that," Chenle giggled. "Not too certain as to why, but he likes to talk to himself."

Mark sat on the couch next to them while he sent a text. After sending it, he locked his phone and turns his attention to the other two boys. "What are you boys doing?" He asked.

"Playing a game Chenle showed me," Jisung replied without looking up from his phone.  
Chenle nodded and giggled. "And I'm watching him play that game!" He glanced at Mark with a smile before turning his attention back to the younger boy. "he's doing really good so far."

"Nice, what game?" Mark wondered.

"You wouldn't know it," Chenle stated. "I've seen the games on your phone already."

Mark pouted. "Doesn't mean I can't know what it is," he complained.

Chenle giggled and leaned on the older male. He took his phone and showed him the app. Since he was curious, Mark downloaded it as well and began to play it. Afterward, the Chinese boy smiled and snuggled back up next to Jisung.

The boys stayed like that for a good while. Once Chenle had realized that Jaemin was out of the shower and relaxing with them, he decided he should stand up.

Jisung watched Chenle get up. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I figured I should probably show you my room and stuff," Chenle said and smiled. "Maybe get you in the shower before everyone arrives."

Jaemin glanced at them and spoke up. "Go ahead and shower, Jisung. You'll feel better after," he encouraged with a smile.

"Okay," the youngest agreed and followed Chenle to his room.

Once there, Chenle opened the door and held his arm out to gesture to the room. "This is my room. The bathroom is to the right," he pointed at the other door then to his bed and turned to Jisung. "That's my bed. I don't really know what the sleeping arrangement will be tonight since there's a lot of us. But, if you feel overwhelmed or just wanna get away from everyone, we can always come in here and relax. Get away from everyone." Chenle smiled.

Jisung nodded. "Okay. Thank you," he said.

"Oh! You need clothes!" The Chinese boy ran to his closet before stopping and piveting his body back towards the younger. "Wait, Jaemin hyung gave you clothes. Right?"

Jisung nodded again and opened his bag. "Yeah. I got some."

Chenle smiled. "Awesome. Go ahead and shower. I'll wait for you in the living room. If you have any questions, make sure to ask. I will try to answer," he giggled and opened the bathroom door for Jisung. Then, he hopped around and headed back out to the living room.

The Chinese boy giggled again and ran to the couch. He laid across the two older males sitting there and poked the oldest in the stomach. "Hyung~!" he bothered with another giggle.

Mark looked down at the boy sprawled across him and Jaemin and smiled. "Yes?" he chuckled.

Jaemin also chuckled and decided to poke at the bit of tummy peeking out from under the younger's shirt.

Chenle was about to speak as Jaemin poked him, causing the younger to squeak and curl up instead. He covered his stomach quickly. "Noo," he whined. "Don't do that."

That plea made Jaemin want to tickle him more. He glanced at Mark just as the older had decided to do the same. Mark began poking at Chenle's sides, making him squirm. Jaemin joined in.

Chenle started to squirm around in a futile attempt to deflect the tickles and squealed. As both older boys continued to attack his sides and stomach, Chenle became a mess of squaks, squeals, screams, and giggles. "Ahh!! Hyung!" he shouted between giggles. "Stop~!"

Mark only decided to stop after hearing a knock at the door. He quickly got up and answered the door. Moving aside, he let in Haechan and Renjun, who were both still in their uniforms. Upon seeing Chenle, Renjun waved and smiled.

The younger Chinese boy waved back and sat up. He spoke in their native language, making the older laugh. Chenle pouted and whined in said language.

"Aww, you poor thing," Renjun said as he walked over to pet Chenle.

The younger smiled at the pets. He loved when other people played with his hair. It was comforting to him. 

Renjun smiled as well. "What a cutie pie," he giggled and smiled. Noticing Jaemin, he waved then turned his attention to Mark. "I'm gonna steal your clothes and take a shower." When Haechan's mouth opened to protest, he spoke again. "Suck it. I called dibs first."

Mark laughed loudly after hearing the Chinese male's remark. He clapped and hugged on Haechan. "It's okay. You can chill with us for a bit. Sides, Renjun takes really quick showers."

Renjun nodded. "Exactly." He waved and headed upstairs to shower.

"Damn, too bad Jeno wasn't here to see that," Jaemin stated and laughed.

"Oh, dude, true. This is the real Renjun. Sass and all," Mark replied.

"I love it," Jaemin chuckled. "It's perfect. Jeno's gonna love him even more."

Both boys laughed while Haechan rolled his eyes. Neither one of them knew about Renjun's crush on Mark. Then again, Haechan had been giving Mark signals that he liked him for two years and he still didn't notice. He was kind of dense. I don't think he'd ever have a clue about Renjun. Haechan didn't know Jaemin though. They had only started hanging out around a couple months ago and didn't know of anyone liking him. He didn't know if Jaemin was straight or not either. This boy had never talked about relationships before. Hell, Haechan wasn't for sure that Jaemin liked anyone at all!

"Jeno said they might be done soon. I guess they're just going over a few exercises and game plans today," Jaemin told them.

"Oh sweet. I mean, everyone likes to get out early on a Friday," Mark chuckled.

Jaemin stared at his phone for a moment before laughing loudly and slapping his leg. "I think it's 'cause of Lucas! He's complaining about him." He laughed again.

"Of course it's because of Lucas," Mark chuckled.

Chenle hopped up and tugged on Mark's sleeve. "Should I go ahead and order our food?" he asked.

Mark thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah sure. Lemme check to make sure we have enough drinks for everyone."

"I can just add some to the order," Chenle dismissed and took his phone out to start ordering. "Should I get four pizzas and two whole chickens? Would that be enough for all eight of us?" he checked and glanced at Mark.

Johnny came over and began to play with Chenle's hair. "Don't worry about me, kiddo. I'll probably just eat one slice and be done, so go ahead," he said. "You boys are growing and need your food."

"Oh trust me, Jeno could eat a whole pizza by himself," Jaemin stated and laughed. "Especially right after practice."

"I mean, I'm fat, so I could too," Haechan shrugged.

"Lee Donghyuk!" Mark scolded and hit his arm.

"Ohh! Bringing out the real name!" Jaemin teased. "Someone's in trouble."

Mark pulled Haechan closer by his neck then side hugged him. "You're not fat, Haechan," he stated.

Haechan looked at him and decided to try and joke it off. "Self deprecating humor is our generation, Mark."

The older took his arm back and stared at Haechan. "I know it is. But I've also known you longer than I've known Jaemin. And I know that you've struggled with your body image before. So I don't want to hear you talk bad about yourself. You're beautiful."

Jaemin looked between the two of them and half-smirked. He'd known Mark for a long time and knew that he liked Haechan. The older used to talk about him constantly when they were in middle school. Now, he just quietly cared for the younger.

Chenle broke the silence. "Okay. The order is in. It says it'll take like an hour and 20 minutes to make it all," he stated.

"Awesome," Mark replied. "Everyone should be here by then." He looked up and saw Renjun coming downstairs then nudged Haechan's shoulder. "Your turn."

Haechan nodded and started for the stairs. As he left and Renjun arrived, Jisung walked out of Chenle's room. He was wearing a pair of black pajama pants and a light blue sweater. His hair was still wet from having just got out of the shower so he shook his head slightly to get the droplets off his face.

Chenle looked up from his phone and focused his attention on the younger boy. His sweater was a pretty blue color and he looked so cute in it. As the drops of water ran down Jisung's face, Chenle watched them, making him trace the younger's features with his eyes. He had cute puffy cheeks yet a sharp jawline. The Chinese boy didn't know why he hadn't noticed before but Jisung had big lips. They were nice and plump. Jisung looked so good like that.

Wait. What? No he didn't. What was Chenle thinking? "I should go shower now," he stated and went to get up but halted. "Wait no. I need to be here for when the food arrives so I can pay for it."

Mark raised an eyebrow at Chenle and chuckled. He noticed that Chenle was staring at Jisung and smiled. Even if he hadn't figured it out himself yet, Mark knew that Chenle was developing a crush on Jisung. It was obvious in everything he did. Whenever Jisung's name was mentioned, Chenle perked up. The way that he talked about Jisung and smiled the entire time. He even went out of his way to do things for Jisung. He really liked this kid and it was adorable.

Jisung made his way over to the couch and sat next to Chenle. He smiled at the Chinese boy and chuckled. "Chenle, I'm wearing a warm hug," he whispered cutely.

Chenle's heart melted at those words. It was so cute and he just had to giggle. "You are," he sang in reply. "And it's blue. My favorite color."

"Yeah," Jisung chuckled and smiled.

Jaemin felt so happy to see Jisung smile and talk so freely with the other boy. This boy did such a good job of keeping Jisung happy. Jaemin was grateful for that.

"I'm going to shower," Chenle declared. "I have an hour, so it's okay." He giggled and stood up then ran to his room.

Jisung looked up and around at everyone. "What does he have an hour for?" he asked.

"Oh, he ordered the food and it'll be here in about an hour," Mark answered.

Jaemin nodded and smiled at Jisung. Suddenly remembering something, he looked at Mark. "Ah, Hyung, where will we all sleep tonight?" he wondered.

Mark stopped and took in his surroundings. "I was thinking maybe we could move the couch back some to use all this space for sleeping," he replied and then looked around again. "We could also make a pallet on the ground with a few spare duvets and blankets so that we're not just sleeping on the floor." He chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Renjun said. "Let's do that now so we can chill later."

"Okay, uh, everyone follow me. We got a lot of blankets in the closet," Mark stated. "But first, the couch." He pointed to it. "We gotta move it out of the way."

Jisung and Jaemin got off the couch and the younger stood to the side. Mark and Jaemin then began to push the couch out of the way. After, the other three followed Mark to the closet and each grabbed a duvet. Once they laid down two queen sized duvets side by side, they laid the other two on top of each one as well as two queen sized comforters. 

"Is that soft enough?" Mark asked.

Renjun sprawled himself out on the pallet and nodded. "Yeah. It's good," he confirmed.

"Good," the oldest replied and threw a smaller blanket at Renjun then laughed.

"Hey!" Renjun whined and pouted. "You're mean."

Mark just laughed harder and threw more blankets onto the pallet. After he finished throwing blankets, he began throwing pillows until there were exactly 14 on the ground.

"Why do we need so many pillows?" Jaemin questioned.

"Because I know Haechan and Renjun both like to hug pillows while we hang out and I wasn't for sure if everyone else did or not. Plus I know Chenle snuggles in his sleep." Mark answered. "He cuddles whatever is nearby so watch out. You'll wake up with him latched onto you."

"That's so cute," Jisung whispered and chuckled to himself.

Mark smiled and sat down on their make-shift bed next to Renjun. "Now we can all relax." The other two followed and sat as well. Jisung leaned against the couch and smiled. Renjun grabbed a pillow and began to hug it.

At that moment, Haechan also made his way downstairs, freshly showered. Mark watched him make his way over and smiled. Even though it was just a regular t-shirt and shorts, Mark thought he looked adorable. Although, it's possible he was bias since they were his clothes that Haechan was wearing. Nonetheless, Mark had to admit that he looked amazing as the younger boy sat next to him.

"Welcome back," Mark said. As he took his phone out, he heard the doorbell ring and quickly got up to answer it. Mark opened the door to find Jeno standing next to his older brother.

"Oh hey man. Come on in," Mark said.

Jeno smiled and walked in wearing casual clothes. From the looks of his wet hair, he'd just taken a shower. He sat his bag down as Jaemin watched him. His choice of clothes happen to be a pair of black skinny jeans with rips in the knees and a long sleeved, black turtleneck that hugged his form nicely. Even with a black mask pulled down under his chin to hide some of his freshly showered face, Jaemin couldn't help but think that Jeno looked amazing in that outfit.

Jaemin tore his eyes away from Jeno when he realized he had been staring for a bit too long. He had to admit, Jeno had a nice body.

Jeno made his way over to Jaemin and smiled. He was wearing a white muscle shirt that happen to show off the bit of muscle he had. It looked great. Jaemin was also wearing a pair of blue plaid pajama pants showing that this was what he was wearing to bed. Why did Jaemin have to look so good in everything? Jeno hated it.

As Jeno sat next to Jaemin and smiled, Johnny made his way to the door. "Hey man!" he called out.

"Johnny hyung! It's been so long," Jeno's brother said.

"It's been too long, Doyoung. How you been?" Johnny asked.

"Good. I can't stay too long though, Taeyong is waiting in the car," Doyoung stated.

"Maybe if you wore your glasses, you could drive and chat for longer," Johnny teased.

"Oh hush," the other chuckled.

While listening to the other two talk, Jaemin realized something and got up. "Wait, Doyoung hyung?" he asked as he made his way over.

Doyoung gasped. "Jaemin!" he exclaimed and pulled the younger into a tight hug. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's you!"

Jaemin hugged back tightly and smiled. "It's me," he chuckled. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Doyoung said as he squished Jaemin's cheeks. "I can't believe how long it's been. Look at you! You're all grown up. It feels like just yesterday Jaehyun and I found you…" he trailed off and smiled at the younger male.

"Technically Jeno found me," Jaemin chuckled and smiled back.

The only person in the room that didn't seem confused was Jeno. What exactly did he mean by he found him? What was going on?

Doyoung nodded and hugged him again. "Are you doing alright? Do you need anything? Are you eating right?" he asked as he inspected his face. "Remember that you can always come by if you need anything, okay?"

Jaemin nodded and smiled at him. "I know hyung."

"You still have a phone right? Jaehyun's still paying for that?" Doyoung questioned and sighed. "I can't believe he left. He'd better still be paying for things."

"Doyoung, you can't be salty just because you guys broke up," Johnny spoke up.

"I'm not salty. I broke up with him three years ago. I'm just stating facts. If he can pay for an American University for four years, he can pay for Jaemin's phone," Doyoung stated.

"True. American Universities are expensive," Johnny agreed.

"I promise I'm okay. Honestly. Jaehyun hyung sends me money every week," Jaemin assured him.

Doyoung held his face and stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright, fine. I'm glad you're doing well. Just remember that you still have us, okay?

Jaemin nodded and smiled. "Okay," he replied and sat back down with Jeno.

Doyoung peeked into the house one last time to make sure everything was going to be alright. "Jeno-puppy? Do you have everything you need? Glasses case? PJs? Do you have your allergy medicine in case you need it?" he checked.

Jeno's cheeks colored in embarrassment as he nodded. He pulled his mask up to cover the rest of his face his glasses didn't cover. "Yes Hyung. I have everything," he answered. "I will be fine."

"Okay good. Bye bye," Doyoung waved and smiled as he headed back out.

All eyes were on Jeno, except for Jaemin's, at that moment. "Jeno-puppy??" Haechan questioned 

"That's such a cute nickname," Renjun cooed.

Jeno chuckled awkwardly. "Hyung says it's 'cause I look like a puppy. That's why." He blushed behind his mask.

"You also act like one," Jaemin teased. "All cuddly and demanding attention."

Jeno hit Jaemin's leg at his response. "Shut up. No I don't," he pouted.

Jaemin laughed and grabbed his leg in pain. "Ow!" He pushed at Jeno's shoulder and smiled.

Renjun watched the two boys interact and smiled. They were so cute together. Knowing they had been together for a long time definitely made sense now. Remembering what Jeno's brother said, he turned his attention to Jaemin.

"What did that guy mean by he found you?" Renjun asked. "Or that Jeno found you, as you corrected."

Jaemin's smile faded at the Chinese male's question as he stared at the ground. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "That's… it's not something I really wanna talk about right now," he stated.

Jeno held his hand gently and looked at him. "Jaemin, maybe this is something you should talk about. Mark hyung doesn't even know about it," he encouraged.

Jaemin shook his head again. "No. No because that doesn't matter anymore. I don't have to think about it ever again and I don't want to," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"Do I know about it?" Jisung asked, watching the older with big eyes.

Jaemin made eye contact with the youngest and shook his head. "No. I haven't told you either."

Mark watched Jaemin for a while before going over and petting him. "I want you to know that no one here will judge you," he said. "No matter what happened before, you're still Jaemin. And that won't change." He sat next to the younger and rubbed his back with a smile.

Jaemin took a deep breath to steady himself and looked at Jeno. With the other looking back at him, it made Jaemin feel calm, but he still wasn't ready to talk. "I can't," he finally breathed out and shook his head again. "I'm just not ready to yet."

Renjun nodded in understanding and smiled at him. "That's alright. But we'll always be here when you are ready," he comforted.

Jaemin nodded and sought solace in Jeno's arms. His best friend wrapped his arms around his back and he felt safe. In return, he wrapped his own arms around Jeno's middle and snuggled into him.

Renjun smiled as he watched the two boys snuggle. Both of them looked content in each other's arms and it was cute. While staring at them, he took in the clothes that Jaemin was wearing. Why did he just now notice them?

"I didn't even notice you were wearing a muscle shirt til just now. Can I feel them?" Renjun asked.

Jaemin sat up and chuckled. "Sure. Go ahead," he answered and smiled at the Chinese male.

Renjun crawled over, almost into the younger's lap, and began feeling Jaemin's forearms. He flexed as Renjun felt up to his biceps and the corner of his mouth twitched into a small smirk. He heard the giggle that slipped out of Renjun's mouth when he squeezed the younger male's bicep.

Jeno watched the scene in front of him in confusion. Why was Renjun all of a sudden feeling Jaemin's biceps? Either way, Jeno thought Renjun looked absolutely adorable and found himself chuckling.

Both boys followed the sound of the chuckle and rested their gazes on Jeno. Renjun left Jaemin's lap with a giggle and sat in between the two of them. Was it really this easy to move on from his crush on Mark? Maybe he hadn't really liked Mark that badly after all.

After a few minutes of relaxing, the doorbell rang again, making a panicked squeak sound from Chenle's room. Upon hearing it, Jisung looked up from his phone and laughed. Two seconds later, Chenle was running across the living room towards the front door wearing shorts and a tank top while his hair was still sopping wet. He opened the door quickly and handed his card to the delivery boy.

"Can I get some help, guys?" Chenle asked. "It's a lot of food."

Renjun giggled and stood up with Mark. Both made their way over to help carry the pizzas, chickens, and soda over to everyone. Johnny headed over and set down a mini table for them to set the food on.

As Renjun stood up, Jeno took note of what he was wearing. The Chinese male was wearing a pair of cute and flowy, Jeno wanted to say almost booty shorts, with a tank top that barely showed his tummy. On top of that, he was also wearing a long, red plaid flannel that he could only assume was actually Mark's. From behind, he couldn't tell that Renjun was wearing anything other than the flannel and that drove Jeno wild. Quickly grabbing a pillow, he hugged it and watched Renjun.

After the food was set down and Chenle was handed his card back, he squealed as he ran back to his room. "I'll be right back!" he shouted.

Mark laughed and sat next to Haechan. "He always takes forever to shower and get ready. Sometimes I wonder what all he does."

Haechan was about to make a joke when they heard the sound of his hairdryer turn on, making everyone laugh simultaneously. "He's the only one of us who dries his hair after a shower!" Haechan laughed.

"Seriously though!" Mark added. "None of us dried out hair. Even Jeno showed up with wet hair!"

Jeno chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. I was already arriving later than everyone else, though."

"That's true," Jaemin agreed.

"Speaking of," Mark began. "Jaemin said you were complaining about Lucas during practice. Was it about Jungwoo again?"

Jeno sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh my god. Yes," he confirmed. "He would not stop talking about his plans to flirt with Jungwoo! Like, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for him and whatever, but we literally have a game in a week! That boy needs to focus!"

Mark started laughing. "Dude, I know though!" He complained. "During homeroom, he kept talking about visiting him at his job. That coffee shop near the school, I believe."

"Yes! He mentioned that too!" Jeno exclaimed. "Lucas literally left practice just to flirt with him!" He sighed. "So I gave up. Whatever. We can just practice harder on Monday."

Right then, Chenle's door opened and he came bounding out. Jisung turned his attention to said boy and smiled. His hair was now fluffy and dry and instead of the tank top he was wearing earlier, he was wearing an oversized pink sweater. It looked adorable on him. He could also tell that the older boy was still wearing shorts when the sweater came up as he hopped over to Jisung.

Chenle slowed down and sat next to Jisung. The younger put his arm around Chenle and pulled him close. The Chinese boy leaned his head on Jisung's shoulder and smiled. 

"I'm wearing a warm hug now too," Chenle giggled and looked up at Jisung.

Jisung couldn't hold back his smile when hearing the older's words. "Now we match. Warm hugs for us both," he replied. The younger chuckled and moved so that Chenle could also see his phone. He had been playing on it and liked when the Chinese boy watched him game. It was comforting to have his company.

"Alright guys! Let's eat," Mark announced. "Lemme go get plates and stuff for everyone first." He stood up and headed for the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Haechan opened up the pizza boxes and had everyone take a slice. After returning, he looked at everyone with a huff as he set the stuff down. "You guys couldn't have waited for plates?"

"Nope!" Chenle replied and laughed loudly.

Mark rolled his eyes and handed out a plate to everyone before sitting down. He grabbed his own slices of pizza and began eating.

"We should play a game!" Chenle shrieked with a mouth full of pizza.

When everyone turned to him and nodded, Johnny made his way down and stole one slice of pizza before leaving again.

"I like that idea," Jeno said. "What kind?"

Renjun hummed in thought. "Maybe truth or dare?" he suggested.

Haechan gasped and nodded. "With a twist!"

Mark sighed. "Oh no. What kind of twist?" he asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" The younger laughed, getting the attention of everyone else in the room. He clapped once for dramatic effect then pointed in front of himself. "So! If you fail to do a dare or don't wanna answer a Truth question, then the person who challenged you has to choose someone for you to kiss!" Haechan announced.

Chenle laughed and clapped. "That sounds fun!" He giggled.

Renjun shrugged. "Sure. Why not. Let's do that, then."

Mark glanced at everyone in the room. "You guys are seriously okay with this?" he asked.

"I love kisses," Jaemin stated. "So yeah. I'm okay with it."

Jeno shrugged. "It makes the game more interesting, I guess. You just gotta do everything and tell the truth."

Chenle smiled at Jisung. "Are you gonna play too?" he checked.

Jisung nodded and flashed his own smile back at him. "Yeah. Sounds fun."

"Yay," Chenle giggled and sat up. "Let's play!"

"Rock paper scissors to see who goes first!" Haechan shouted.

"Okay!" Jaemin exclaimed.

"An nae myeon, An nae myeon, an nae myeon jingeo, kai bai bo!" Chenle chanted. "Ahh!" He screamed and fell to the floor upon defeat, along with Mark.

Jisung slowly brought his hand to his face to cover it when he lost and chuckled. Haechan pouted upon losing the next round. Then, after losing the final round, Jaemin dropped to the ground dramatically and laughed. Jeno stared at his hand, seemingly confused when he realized he had lost as well.

"Shit," Jeno chuckled.

Renjun was the winner!

"Oh!" He was surprised and laughed. "I won!" Renjun sat down and glanced over at everyone in the room. After giving it some thought, his eyes rested on his victim: Jaemin. "Okay Jaemin," he started. "Truth or dare?"

Jaemin stared at him and shrugged. "Truth," he answered.

"Do you like anyone?" Renjun asked.

Taking a moment to think about it, he looked up before shaking his head. "No. Not really."

"Dang. Well alright. Your turn," the Chinese male pouted. "That was boring."

Jaemin chuckled and turned his attention to someone else. "Haechan. Truth or-"

Before the younger had time to finish speaking, Haechan chimed in. "Dare of course. I ain't a wuss."

Rolling his eyes, Jaemin fixed his posture to sit upright instead of slouching. "Alright. Then, I dare you to sit in Mark's lap for the duration of this game." He smirked as shocked expressions appeared on both Mark and Haechan's faces. He knew how much Mark liked Haechan and wanted chaos to unfold for them. As for the latter, Jaemin could only hope that he liked Mark back. 

Haechan flushed as he stood up to walk over to Mark. Like Haechan had said earlier, he ain't wuss. So, even if he didn't want to sit in the older's lap for fear of his feelings growing, he did so anyways and faced his other friends. Huffing, he crossed his arms and searched for his victim.

"Chenle! Truth or dare?" Haechan asked.

Chenle looked up and smiled. "I choose dare!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Haechan smirked. "Good. I dare you to kiss Jisung," he stated.

Jisung was taken aback by the dare. It wasn't even his turn and he was being forced to participate. He glanced over at Chenle to see his reaction. Jisung had expected to see the boy in a state of shock, but instead he found that he looked to be deep in thought about something.

"Okay," Chenle finally said as he turned his attention to Jisung.

The youngest's heart nearly skipped a beat at the thought of Chenle kissing him and he wasn't even for sure why. He decided to settle on that fact that it was because Chenle had even agreed in the first place. As the Chinese boy's face got closer to his own, the blush on his cheeks became a darker red.

Chenle stopped right next to Jisung's face and half-smirked. It was cute seeing Jisung all red and flustered from the thought of a kiss. He grabbed the younger boy's face and turned it to the side before planting a kiss on his cheek. Haechan never said it had to be on the lips.

"No!" Haechan protested. "You're supposed to kiss him!"

Chenle laughed loudly and stuck his tongue out. "I did! You never specified where!"

Jisung's face reddened even more, which he didn't quite think was possible, at the kiss the Chinese boy just planted in his cheek. Jaemin did that often but for some reason, this one felt different. What was this boy doing to him? 

Upon hearing Haechan protest and suggest that the kiss was actually supposed to be on the lips, or at least not on the cheek, Jisung's heart fluttered. What was going on?

"Mark hyung!" Chenle exclaimed, bringing Jisung out of his thoughts. His heart did a leap when the older giggled. "Truth or Dare?"

Mark turned his attention to the younger Chinese boy and smiled. "Uh, truth," he answered.

"Okay! Do you like someone?" Chenle asked while smiling. Jisung also noticed what he assumed was a hint of mischief in that smile.

The oldest hesitated before nodding. "Yes. I do," he replied.

"Who is it?" Chenle pried.

"No. That's more than one question," Mark complained.

"Is it someone in this room?" The Chinese boy pestered.

Mark glanced around the room and blushed furiously before burying his face in Haechan's back. "Yeah.." he gave in, mumbling into his best friend's back.

Chenle squealed in excitement but Mark moved on before the boy could interrogate him any more. "Renjun! Truth or Dare?"

Renjun was slightly startled but chuckled. "I'll go with dare," he stated.

"Um, alright. I dare you to give Jeno a lap dance," the older suggested.

Renjun nearly choked on his drink and began coughing violently. "Excuse me?" he bit.

"You heard me. Give Jeno a lap dance," Mark repeated.

The older Chinese male blushed and turned his attention to the male in question. It was then that Renjun actually noticed Jeno's outfit. The way it hugged his form nicely. His skinny jeans showing just how muscular his legs are. It was also then that Renjun noticed just how cute Jeno looked when he was flustered. And as much as he did not want to give a lap dance to Jeno, no one else had chickened out yet, and Renjun decided that he was not going to be the first. So he stood up and made his way over to the other boy.

Jeno looked up at Renjun as his face reddened, thankful that most of his face was covered by his mask. He was honestly surprised that the other had even agreed to do it. But, man oh man, he was not going to complain.

"Get up," Renjun commanded.

Jeno stared up at him in confusion. "Wait what?"

"Get up," Renjun repeated. "It's easier to do this if you're in a chair and not sitting on the floor." He looked away as Jeno stood up to grab a chair. Once the chair was placed and he sat down, Renjun sauntered on back to him and began his dance.

To anyone else, the dance was awkward and stiff. The others could tell that Renjun was nervous and not used to doing things like that. It was entertaining to say the least.

But to Jeno, the dance was extravagant. Renjun's hips swayed above his own, seeming to twist and shake enough to make Jeno all hot and bothered. He loved every second of it but felt as though it was wrong to express that. So he stayed still. The only thing that showed his excitement was the prominent tent in his pants that, every now and again, rubbed against the Chinese male's thigh.

Even though his entire body screamed to let him free, Jeno was glad to be wearing jeans. If he had been wearing pajama pants, he wouldn't have been able to hide the tent in his pants very well at all.

After the dance, Renjun quickly sat next to Haechan, who was still in Mark's lap. He grabbed a pillow and hid his red face in it.

Jeno didn't want to move from the chair but made himself get up anyways. After sitting down next to his best friend, Jaemin handed him a pillow and chuckled. Jeno blushed and took the pillow with gratitude.

"Okay, well, uh, I already went. So," Renjun started.

"I'll go!" Chenle cut in. "Jeno hyung! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Jeno breathed out.

"Why are you called Jeno-puppy?" Chenle asked with a giggle.

Jeno cocked his head to the side and stared at him. "How do you even know about that? You were in the shower when I arrived," he asked.

"Jisung told me," Chenle shrugged in answer.

"Well, alright. Uh, my family calls me that because I look like a Samoyed," Jeno replied. 

Chenle gasped and giggled. "Oh my god! You do! I see it!" he exclaimed.

Jaemin couldn't help but laugh as blush crept up on Jeno's face once again. The older hit Jaemin's arm and pouted.

"Whatever. Um, Jisung. Truth or Dare?" Jeno asked.

Jisung was slightly shocked to be picked and just stared at him like a deer in headlights. "Oh, uh, truth I guess," the youngest muttered.

Jeno hadn't exactly thought this far ahead as he just stared at the other boy while thinking. What should he ask? "Um, alright," he began as his eyes scanned the room for a topic. When his eyes landed on Jaemin, he remembered that this was the boy Jaemin was always with. But why though?

The older snapped his attention back to Jisung. "What does Jaemin mean to you?" he finally asked.

"Jaemin hyung?" Jisung stole a glance at said person as he began to fidget with his fingers. "He's someone I really trust."

Jeno felt confused at the youngest's words. What exactly did that mean? Just as he was about to ask for clarification, the other moved on.

"Jaemin hyung. Truth or Dare?" Jisung asked. 

Jaemin beamed his brightest smile at Jisung as he spoke. "I'll go with truth!"

Jisung hesitated. He knew exactly what he wanted to ask but was too scared to ask him. Taking a deep breath, Jisung mustered up the courage and locked eyes with Jaemin. "Can, can you tell us what you meant when you said, when you said that Jeno hyung found you?"

Jaemin's smile faded and he sighed. Oh no. No no no. That's not what Jisung wanted to do. He likes it when Jaemin is happy. He doesn't wanna see Jaemin upset. But as the older rubbed his neck and hung his head, Jisung knew it was too late. The damage was done.

"Okay," Jaemin finally spoke up. He flashed a small smile at the youngest to let him know that it was okay. "But only because it was you who asked."

Jisung nodded and was ready to listen intently. It was now Jaemin's turn to take a deep breath and muster up courage. Once he had, he began.

"When I was 11 years old, my parents abandoned me. I remember the day very vividly for the most part. It was cold and rainy in the middle of Autumn. My parents," Jaemin paused and rubbed his face, sighing at the same time. "Before my parents abandoned me, they told me I was a terrible child, beat me, and said everything that was happening right then, was all my fault. They said I was useless and a mistake to the world. And they if they didn't even want me, no one would." He sighed once more and looked up at the ceiling. Jeno noted how his eyes puffed up as the younger started to rub them. Then, Jaemin continued. "After the beating, they threw me in the truck, drove off somewhere, and dropped me off in a puddle." He took a steadying breath as he scanned the room, his gaze resting on Jeno. "Jeno was the one who found me. He was hopping around playing in the puddles when he did. Doyoung hyung was dating Jaehyun hyung at the time and were out on a walk together. When he saw me, Jaehyun hyung decided to take me in. That's why I lived with him." He tore his eyes away from everyone and stared at the ground.

It was Renjun who decided to get up and sit next to Jaemin. He didn't think it was a good idea to say anything just yet, so instead, he just rubbed his back. When Jaemin lifted his head and their eyes locked, Renjun smiled at him. And that was all Jaemin needed. That smiled comforted him as Jaemin noticed there wasn't a trace of judgment in the other boy's eyes.

"And now that you've talked about it, it'll be easier to cope with," the Chinese male finally said. "You don't have to hide it anymore. We're all here for you."

Jaemin nodded. It did feel good to get it off his chest and to get it out there. It also made sense as to why Jeno liked this boy. Not only was he beautiful, but also sweet and smart. Jeno chose well.

Everyone had decided to end the game there. Chenle and Mark cleaned up the mess from their dinner as Jeno went upstairs to change into PJs. Jisung went back to playing on his phone while he waited for Chenle to come back. Jaemin then got up to sit next to Jisung and put an arm around him, holding him close. 

The youngest leaned on Jaemin and smiled. He felt happy. Which was different than what he was used to feeling. This was the happiest he's ever been and he was scared to lose it. This was a different kind of scared than what he was used to feeling. He really liked his new friends. Jaemin had lots of fun with them and so did he. They were all so nice to him and it made him feel more comfortable with them.

As Mark made his way back over from the kitchen, Chenle also ran back to Jisung. He slowed down as he got closer and plopped himself on the younger's lap. Caught off guard by it, Jisung opened his legs so that Chenle fell in between them and sat on the floor instead. 

The Chinese boy pouted but just laid his head against Jisung's chest. The younger didn't mind this position as he moved his hand to play with Chenle's hair. It was quite soft. 

"Are you guys seriously still fighting over that?" Mark sighed.

Jisung had been so preoccupied with Chenle that he hadn't even noticed that Renjun and Haechan were arguing until Mark said something. 

"Yes!" They said in unison. 

"Look, all I'm saying is that I have some dominance, right? You said so yourself," Renjun stated. "Doesn't that make me more manly than him?"

"No, because Haechan would still top. You'd just be a power bottom," Mark added. 

"Wait, then what exactly is a power bottom?" Renjun asked.

The oldest hesitated to answer and blanched. "I, uh, I can't answer that in front of the kids."

Haechan decided to answer for him. He didn't really care about scarring the kids or whatever. "It's where you ride that dick like a cowboy."

"Yee-haw," Chenle spoke without thinking, not noticing the horrified looks of both his best friend and host brother. This made Haechan laugh loudly. 

"Oh my gawd, my ears," Jisung murmured as he covered his ears slightly. 

When Chenle finally noticed their faces, he couldn't help but laugh just like Haechan did. 

"Or, you know, you're a bottom who takes control of their top," Jaemin clarified, making the younger Chinese boy laugh louder. "You're in charge but still take it up the ass."

Renjun's face darkened at least three shades of red as his mouth hung open in shock at the explanation. He did not want to talk about this anymore. Especially as a certain black-haired boy made his way back downstairs. 

"What'd I miss?" Of course Jeno had to ask. 

"Just that Renjun-"

"Nothing! You didn't miss anything!" Renjun cut Haechan off while slapping a hand over the boy's mouth and shooting him a warning glare. 

Jeno looked between the two of them and shrugged. "Well alright." He sat down and smiled.

Renjun smiled as well then promptly took his hand off his best friend's mouth and smacked his arm as he felt saliva all over his hand. "Gross!"

Haechan just laughed maniacally and ran over to sit next to Mark. He was satisfied.

Right then was when Renjun noted the clothes that Jeno had changed into. He was no longer wearing the black mask from earlier and his hair was brushed to the side, out of his face. Now he was wearing a black tank top that showed off his muscles nicely and some gray sweatpants. Why did Jeno look good in everything he wore? It was honestly a sin. But Renjun always liked a little sin in his life.

Chenle looked up from his phone to look at everyone and smiled. It was then that he noticed that Jeno wearing glasses and gasped. "Whoa! You wear glasses?" he asked and began crawling over to him. Once there, Chenle climbed into the older's lap to look at them. He reached out to grab at the glasses.

Jeno stopped the younger boys arm by poking his side. Chenle squeaked and jerked away while giggling. The action made Jeno chuckle.

Chenle got off of Jeno and made his way back over to Jisung. He giggled and crawled on the younger's lap. This time, Jisung didn't make him move. He enjoyed having the Chinese boy in his lap.

Jaemin smiled because of the youngest two then turned his attention to Jeno and Renjun. They were cute together and he wanted Jeno to be happy.

Mark was also watching the two of them and smiled. When he noticed Jaemin watching them, he remembered something and chuckled. "Oh yeah. You guys have your, like, weird three-way date tomorrow."

Jaemin laughed. "Yeah. We do." He smiled at the other two boys as they both turned to look at him. "I'm excited for it."

"You are?" Renjun questioned.

Jaemin nodded. "Of course. I wanna get to know you a bit better."

Renjun blushed a little. He liked just how sweet Jaemin was even if he didn't know him very well. It showed just how nice of a person Jaemin really was. "I'm excited too," he replied with a sweet smile.

Jeno couldn't help but smile as well. He was just as excited, if not more, for this 'date.' What was better than hanging out with his best friend at the same time he got to know his potential boyfriend? Nothing, Jeno had concluded. This was perfect.

While the rest of the boys chatted and messed around, Chenle and Jisung were busy playing on their phones and showing each other things. Jisung had just finished showing Chenle a funny picture when the older gasped.

"Oh! That reminds me of when I did this thing!" Chenle exclaimed. "What was it called again?" He looked up at the ceiling to think but put his hand up. "Don't tell me! I'll figure it out!"

Jisung chuckled as he watched the older think. It was cute.

Chenle had a hard time remembering as he hit his forehead with his palm twice before hitting his leg with his fist several times. Why couldn't he remember what it was called?

Upon seeing Chenle's actions, Jisung took the older's hand in his own to make him stop. He placed both their hands flat on Chenle's leg over the spot he was hitting and patted his hand gently.  
He didn't want Chenle to get hurt and he didn't want Chenle hurting himself. "No," Jisung said simply.

Chenle glanced at him and smiled. That was cute. A giggle escaped from him as he nodded to the younger boy. "It wasn't that important anyways," he concluded.

Suddenly, Mark clapped his hands together once and smiled at everyone. "Alright, well, we should all lay down and at least try to sleep," he said.

Jeno pouted. "But it's Friday!" he complained. "Can't we stay up a little later? Watch a movie or something?"

Mark hesitated, considering the option, before he gave in with a nod. "Okay. We can watch a movie. What do you guys wanna watch?"

Everyone gave their input on what movie they wanted to watch. Eventually, a scary movie was decided on, much to Jisung's dismay. To appease the youngest, Chenle gave him a pair of his airpods so that he could listen to music while he laid down instead.

And it worked. After about 30 minutes into laying down, Jisung was fast asleep. Chenle smiled at the sight and laid next to him. Not too long later, he also fell asleep.

Slowly, one by one, the boys drifted to sleep. Soon enough, everyone was fast asleep as the movie just continue replaying the main menu.

Johnny came out to check on them a bit later and turned everything off. He did a quick look around to make sure everyone had blankets on them before he made his way back to his own room to sleep for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Jisung woke up to a koala named Chenle latched onto him. He decided that he really didn't mind it. But he was definitely not going to move in fear that he might wake the smaller boy from his slumber.

This was fine.


	11. Old Feelings Die Hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the short chapter! It was originally supposed to be the norenmin date, but I didn't know how to go about it. So instead, here's the gist of it and how Jeno feels afterwards. 
> 
> Sorry once again! I promise you'll get some norenmin soon!

After everyone finally awoke, Chenle hugged on Jisung and clung to him as they said their goodbyes for the day. Haechan waved to Mark and Renjun and headed on his way. The three boys involved in the date today, gathered their things, and headed to their homes to get ready. They had all agreed to meet at a coffee shop around 1 o'clock.

While Renjun and Jeno readied themselves in semi-casual date clothes, Jaemin sat down on his bed, confused on what he should wear. He hadn't done the laundry yet, so his choices were a bit limited. He finally decided on some black skinny jeans and a pink sweater. To kill time, Jaemin cleaned up his apartment. Once that was done, he headed to the cafe an hour early. 

Upon arriving, Jaemin ordered his usual Americano with 3 shots of espresso and claimed a table next to the window. Within 30 minutes of his wait, Jeno walked in, smiled, and made his way over to Jaemin.

After Renjun finally showed up, they ate lunch together. Before leaving the cafe, Jaemin learned that Renjun doesn't like sweets as Jeno bought himself an iced Mocha and Renjun a café latte. They grabbed their coffees once they were done and headed to a restaurant.

Once there, they ordered their food to go, making Renjun pout. At that, Jaemin chuckled and slung an arm around Renjun to cheer him up.

After being handed their food, they left for the park and ate it there. While there, they played games and had fun. Jeno was able to flirt with Renjun, and to his surprise, the other flirted back. But of course, if Jeno didn't give Jaemin enough attention, he'd butt in and demand it. So Renjun would giggle and pet him.

Jaemin was naturally a flirtatious person, so it was no surprise to Jeno when he started to flirt with both of them. After a while though, Jeno couldn't tell if Jaemin was still joking or if he was actually flirting.  
On his attention demands, he'd hug Jeno and make Renjun laugh in any way he could. His laugh never failed to make Jaemin flash his million dollar smile.

But that dazzling smile made Jeno's stomach churn. He hated it. But after playing some games, it'd go away and he wouldn't hate it as much.

Jeno had gotten much closer to Renjun during the date and so had Jaemin. It was so much fun and they got to know so much about Renjun. 

The date with Renjun had gone well, he had thought. So why did he feel so lost?

As he sat in his living room rubbing his face and sighing, Jeno just felt terrible.

"Jeno-puppy? Are you alright?" Doyoung called from the kitchen.

Jeno sighed for the umpteenth time that night. "No… I'm not alright."

The older made his way out of the kitchen and over to Jeno. He sat next to him and began to play with his hair. "Talk to me kiddo. You know I'm here for you."

Jeno nodded. "I know. It's just that," he paused. "I really like Renjun. But," Jeno sighed and grabbed his chest.

Doyoung seemed to understand as he took the younger into a hug. "Is it Jaemin again?"

Jeno nodded. He didn't want to speak anymore for fear that he'd start crying. "I don't wanna feel like this," he choked out.

While holding him close, Doyoung rubbed Jeno's back and played with his hair. "It might take some time, but I think things will work themselves out soon enough." He kissed Jeno's forehead and smiled. "You just need some time to think. Okay?" 

Jeno nodded. He just needed to think. That's all it was. He likes Renjun and that's all there is to it. Right? Jaemin doesn't belong in that picture anymore.


	12. It Has To Be Park Jisung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle would do anything to make Jisung smile again. He wants Jisung to be happy and that's all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Sorry it's been taking me so long to upload! Life is so busy.

The weekend flew by like that and it was time for school again. Even though they were able to text most of the weekend, Chenle was excited to see Jisung again. He quickly jumped out of bed and threw his clothes on. Readying himself for school, Chenle grabbed his bag and Jisung's lunchbox, then made his way to the living room to wait for Mark and Johnny.

As the older made his way downstairs, he had to chuckle at seeing Chenle bounce in place. "What's got you so excited?" Mark asked.

Chenle jerked his head in the direction of Mark's voice and giggled. "I'm excited to see Jisung."

Mark smiled and nodded. "Alright. Well let's go. Johnny's already outside." 

Excited to go, Chenle squealed as he ran to the car and hopped in. Once there, he opens up the lunchbox to make sure everything was there and then set it aside. Everything was there.

As the car started, Chenle started talking to the older two. They smiled knowing that he was happy.

"So, I found out that Jisung likes grapes! It's his favorite fruit. Now, I make sure to always put a bag of grapes in his lunchbox. Oh! And he really likes banana milk! Apparently he had never had it before I gave him one."

Johnny chuckled as he glanced at the hyperactive, blonde boy in his mirror. He knew exactly what it was like having a crush on someone. That person is all that you'll think about. Hell, Johnny still constantly thought about Ten even though they're already dating. He was happy to finally have him.

Mark couldn't help the smile that crept up on his own face at seeing Chenle talk. The boy was adorable. But Mark also wondered when he might get tired if hearing Chenle talk about Jisung. It's why he stopped talking to Jaemin about Haechan. He was worried he was annoying the poor kid. So, he figured, even if it did get slightly annoying, he wouldn't say anything. He wants Chenle to know that he can come to him for anything.

Once Johnny pulled off into the drop off zone, Chenle waved goodbye excitedly, grabbed his stuff, and hopped out with Mark. Mark quickly followed and chuckled while waving to Johnny.

"Wait up Chenle!" Mark called.

The younger boys giggled and stopped. "Sorry. I was ready to get to class."

"I know I know. But hey," Mark started. "Promise me you won't beat anyone up today. Okay? Not even for Jisung." He stared at Chenle.

Chenle nodded. "Alright. I promise I won't beat anyone up."

Mark chuckled and pet him. "Good. Now get to class."

At that, Chenle smiled and bolted down the hallway to class. Once there, he sat down in his seat next to Jisung and set his lunchbox on the you get boy's desk. He began digging in his bag as he started talking.

"Since it's Monday, we don't have any homework to turn it. But I know we'll get back out homework from Thursday today," Chenle said as he brought out his notebooks. "How was your weekend by the way? You didn't really talk to me about it. I hope it was good."

Before Jisung even had time to reply, he heard a gasp escape from Chenle's mouth. The older boy had finally looked at him to see a cut on Jisung's cheek accompanied by a bruise. He also saw the visible bruises on his collarbone and wrists. Chenle was completely mortified.

Jisung sighed. He didn't want Chenle to see him like this. He was also so happy to see Jisung. "I didn't have a good weekend after I went home," he confessed.

Chenle's chest squeezed uncomfortably at those words. It hurt seeing Jisung like that. Not even just emotionally. No. Chenle's chest hurt as it tightened. He almost felt like he couldn't breathe. Jisung meant so much to him. Why was this happening to Jisung? Who was doing this to him?

"Are you alright?" Chenle whispered, not sure he could speak much louder.

Jisung hesitated. He didn't want to lie to Chenle. But, he also didn't want him to worry. He had already done so much for him; Chenle didn't need to worry about this too. So he stayed quiet and stared at his desk.

That silence was enough for Chenle to understand. He quickly dug in his bag and shoved something into his uniform pocket. Once more, he dug and put something on the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Jisung?" Chenle whispered again as he gently reached for the younger boy's hand.

Jisung's reflexes made him flinch as Chenle's hand came closer, but quickly, he relaxed and held the older's hand. "Yeah?"

"Come with me somewhere?" Chenle hoped.

There was no reply, but Jisung nodded instead and slowly stood up. Upon seeing that, Chenle also stood and gently lead Jisung out of the classroom and into the bathroom. He brought them into the big stall and had Jisung sit down on the toilet.

"Why are we in here?" Jisung asked wearily. "This is usually where I get beat up."

Chenle looked down at Jisung and sighed sadly. "I just want to patch you up is all."

Jisung visibly relaxed and looked up at the older boy, who was still standing. "Thank you," he whispered.

Chenle just smiled sadly. Seeing Jisung in such a vulnerable state made his heart hurt even more than it had before. Chenle had already swore that all he wanted to do was make Jisung happy, but in that moment, he didn't seem to be doing a very good job.

"Anything for you," Chenle whispered back. And he meant it. He would do anything for Park Jisung. And right then, Jisung needed some minor medical attention. So, Chenle reach into his uniform pocket and pulled out his first-aid kit, then showed it to Jisung.

The younger boy's lips twitched as if he wanted to smile but just didn't have the energy to. Instead, Jisung nodded and turned his head so that Chenle could clean his cut.

It wasn't the first time that Jisung had felt the burn of Hydrogen Peroxide against his skin. Jaemin used it on him often. It bubbled in the cut on his cheek as it cleaned away the harmful bacteria. The bubbles were a weird sensation and the liquid burned. But as Chenle blew in the cut as Jaemin had done hundreds of times before, it felt nice, comfortable, familiar almost. The burn gave him a sense of security that he only got while away from his house.

Jisung felt Chenle's soft hands against his face as the older boy gently placed a band-aid over the cut. His hands were much softer than Jaemin's. It made sense to Jisung since he saw Chenle put lotion on his hands every now and again and Jaemin did not.

"Would it be alright if I hid your bruises?" Chenle's soft voice brought Jisung out of his thoughts.

He looked at the older and nodded. "Yeah. But, uh, how?" Jisung wondered.

Chenle smiled at him. "Color correcting cream and foundation. It won't be perfect, but, since we're surrounded by boys, I don't think it'll be a big deal," he chuckled. "I'll be as gentle as I can."

Jisung nodded and looked at Chenle once again.

"But, before that," Chenle began as he placed a kiss over the band-aid. "A kiss to make it feel better."

That action surprised Jisung and made him slightly confused. He understood the 'kiss it, make it better' concept but never actually had it done to him. Jaemin would always offer after cleaning up his cuts but Jisung had always refused. But maybe he shouldn't have. Because somehow, Jisung could swear that Chenle's kiss really had made it feel better.

As he turned his face away to let Chenle put the makeup on him, Jisung could feel his cheeks heat up. Hopefully the older boy didn't notice.

As Chenle took his makeup bag out of the inside pocket of his jacket, he noticed the blush on Jisung's cheek. He was thankful that the younger had already turned his head so that he couldn't see his own blush creeping up his face.

Once he had the color corrector out, he smeared some across Jisung's cheek, collarbone, and wrists. He began to rub in the gobs on his wrists first, then collarbone, and lastly his cheek. When that was done, he put the corrector away and grabbed the foundation.

Chenle paused to look around the bathroom for something to sit on. When he found nothing, he sighed. He certainly didn't want to sit on the floor since it was disgusting. The boys' bathroom is known for having teenage boys that like to mess around and don't know how to aim. With the floor out of the picture, he only had one option left. Before speaking, he cleared his throat.

"Um, is it okay if I sit on your lap? You know, so that I can put in the foundation properly?" Chenle asked.

Jisung was surprised by the request but nodded. "Yeah. I don't mind."

"Thank you," the older replied as he gently sat down. "Since it's not exactly your shade, I'll have to blend it well. But I don't think anyone will really notice since, you know, I don't think a lot of the boys here use makeup. Maybe Renjun? Other than that, I don't think many other people do." Chenle chuckled.

Jisung smiled for the first time that day and it made Chenle's stomach do flips. He smiled as well and giggled. As he worked on hiding Jisung's bruises, Chenle couldn't keep himself from asking a question.

"Who did this to you?" Chenle asked. "We could do something about this. Get the kid in trouble and make sure it doesn't happen again." He stopped to see Jisung's reaction.

Jisung sighed. "I can't tell you. I don't want you to get involved," he paused. "There's nothing you can do anyway."

That hurt. All Chenle wanted to do was help him. No matter the cost. He would get in trouble for Jisung. And he has. Jisung deserved so much more than all this bullying. It wasn't fair. Why did this happen to him?

"Jisung," Chenle started as he began covering the bruises on his collarbone. "I want you to know that I'm here for you. All I want to do is help you. You deserve happiness and I want to help you achieve that." He sighed and stopped to take a moment. "You can count on me."

Jisung took the opportunity to glance at Chenle and study him. Instead of looking at him, Chenle was staring at Jisung's collarbone. When Jisung placed a hand in the older's leg, Chenle finally looked at him.

"Thank you. For everything you've done for me." He smiled at the Chinese boy on his lap. "You've already done so much for me and made my life easier. I couldn't possibly ask you for more."

Chenle took Jisung's hand in his own and sighed. He was sad to know that there was nothing he could do. But, he was also happy to hear that Jisung was better off. That meant that he did something right. And knowing full well that there was nothing else he could say on the matter, he just nodded and smiled, finishing on covering up Jisung's bruises.

"You're always welcome at my house," Chenle smiled at him. "You could even just walk in and I'm sure the hyungs wouldn't care." He giggled and got off the younger's lap. 

Jisung chuckled and looked at his own wrists. The bruises were all covered so no one could see them. He looked up at Chenle and smiled.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind," the younger replied.

Chenle smiled. "Let's head back to class."

Jisung nodded and stood up. Feeling a sense of security in the older boy's presence, Jisung held Chenle's hand as they walked back to class.

The whole walk back, all Chenle could do was watch the younger. He wanted Jisung to be truly happy. Whatever was making him so unhappy, Chenle was going to find out and fix it. He wanted to see Jisung smile more often and hear him laugh freely. It was his mission now.

Upon arriving to class and sitting in there seats, Chenle saw that the teacher had already returned their homework from Thursday. He smiled when he saw that he had received another good grade. Curious as to what Jisung got, he leaned over to look. He also had a good grade. A perfect score actually. Chenle was glad to see it.

Both boys smiled at each other and put their graded homework away. And class went on like that. Their teacher didn't call them out for coming into class a little late. Possibly because she saw their things were already there and just assumed they needed to take care of something. Either way, both Chenle and Jisung were grateful.

* * *

As Chenle made his way down the hall with Jisung to find their respective hyungs, he couldn't help but think that, somewhere along the way of meeting Jisung until now, he'd begun to fall for the younger. He could stop thinking about that fact now. After all that time, it finally made sense.

"Chenle?" Jisung's small voice made its way to his ears.

The older hummed in response and turned to Jisung.

"Are you mad at me?" The younger worried.

"What? No! Of course not!" Chenle comforted then sighed. "I've just been thinking is all. I'm sorry. A lot is on my mind."

Jisung nodded. "Okay. Is everything okay?" he wondered.

Chenle nodded and smiled. "Yes. Everything is alright. I promise."

The younger nodded once more as they approached their herd of friends. Jisung smiled and ran over to hug Jaemin. 

The older male chuckled in surprise and hugged back. "Hey Jisung. Ready to get going?"

"Yeah," Jisung answered and waved to Chenle. "Bye Chenle." He smiled at him.

"Alright," Jaemin chuckled and pet the youngest, bring him close. "Hey Jeno, when you get the chance, we should hang out."

Jeno looked at him and chuckled. "Alright. And we can chill at my house since Doyoung really misses you. Taeyong would be glad to cook a little extra for you too."

Jaemin nodded. "Alright. Sounds like a plan to me. Just text me one of these days and let me know when."

"Alright man, I will. See you later," Jeno smiled.

"Bye!" Jaemin waved and headed out with Jisung.

As the other boy's left, Mark turned to Chenle. "How was your day, kiddo?" he asked.

Chenle looked at him. "Huh? Oh. It was alright. I'm having some trouble in my Korean class though."

"Maybe we could find you a tutor then?" Mark suggested.

Chenle nodded. That sounded like a good idea to him.

"I could help you," Renjun stated. "I've been through the same thing when I first came to Korea. I can help translate for you."

"Really? That'd be awesome!" Chenle giggled.

Renjun smiled. "Yeah. I don't mind."

"Thank you so much!" The younger Chinese boy squealed and hugged him.

Renjun laughed and patted his back. "It's no big deal. Honestly. I understand what it's like."

"Alright, well. We'll be heading out now," Mark stated. "Johnny's here."

"Okay!" Chenle nodded and waved to the rest of his friends, quickly leaving with Mark.

"That was nice of you," Jeno pointed out with a smile.

"Well of course," Haechan started. "He has to do something to cancel out the fact that he's so difficult."

Renjun rolled his eyes. "Oh kiss my ass. You're such a primadonna."

As the look on Jeno's face showed how uncomfortable he was, both Renjun and Haechan couldn't help but laugh. There was no harm in the words they threw at each other.

"Alright loser, I'm heading home. Stay safe," Haechan said as he waved and walked away.

As Chenle arrived home with Mark and Johnny, he tugged on Mark's sleeve. "Hey Hyung? Can I talk to you?"

The older turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, of course. What's up?"

Chenle took a deep breath. "Remember when I said that I wanted someone to hold me?"

Mark nodded knowingly and smiled. "Yes."

The Chinese boy sighed. There was no going back now. "Well, I want that person to be Jisung." It has to be Jisung.

"I know, kiddo," the older chuckled. "I've known for a while now."

Chenle couldn't help but chuckle. Of course Mark already knew. He's always paying attention to the things around him and watching out for me.

All he could do was smile. That's all Chenle could do at this point. He had finally figured it out and told someone. Then again, Chenle didn't like to keep quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoy it so far, please subscribe! And let me know what you guys think in the comments below. I love hearing what you guys think~
> 
> I wanna know your guys' thoughts~


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